Top Gunns are Buk in business
SAKA & CO MAKE AMENDS FOR CUP SHOCKER
AFTER the knockout blow came the Saka punch.
It won’t bring back the FA Cup they surrendered so fecklessly at the weekend, but Bukayo Saka led an inspired display of counter-attacking football to restore a measure of pride in Arsenal’s unfathomable season.
After their feeble defence of the cup had expired at St Mary’s 72 hours earlier, the Gunners could have been forgiven for seeming like crash victims returning to the scene where they wrote off their Lamborghinis.
But they were good value for three points, especially after a nervous start which exposed enduring deficiencies at both ends of the pitch.
Within 50 seconds, Alexandre Lacazette – clean through and with Alex McCarthy at his mercy – was denied by the sprawling Saints keeper when he should have scored.
And from the home side’s first corner, whipped low to the edge of the box by James Ward-Prowse with just three minutes gone, Stuart Armstrong (above) fired his third goal of the season, an exquisite half-volley.
But, unlike their lukewarm surrender in the cup, Arsenal’s response was tenacious this time.
Pressing high and forcing Jack Stephens into a mistake, they were level within five minutes as Nicolas Pepe (below) supplied a cool finish to Granit Xhaka’s pass.
It is, however, a measure of the unbalanced squad boss Mikel Arteta inherited when the most convincing authority is supplied by youngsters Emile Smith Rowe and Saka. As long as leadership is an issue on the pitch, Arsenal will never enjoy a quiet life at the back and they were indebted to Bernd Leno’s flying save to keep out the unmarked Che Adams’ header.
But Saka’s twinkling feet and remarkable versatility are precious assets for fallen giants trying to find their way out of the mid-table jungle, and six minutes before the break their value soared again.
Surging clear from Lacazette’s pass, the England winger skipped round McCarthy to put the Gunners in the box seat.
Saints went through the motions of a fightback, but lacked conviction.
And 18 minutes from time, they were undone by a move of breathtaking simplicity – with Saka yet again at the heart of it.
Cedric Soares picked him out with a diagonal pass of raking quality, Saka’s low centre was a perfection of geometry and Lacazette did the rest at the far post.