Arsenal come from behind to beat Southampton

Arsenal came from behind to maintain their unbeaten start to the season against winless Southampton at Emirates Stadium.

Two goals in 10 second-half minutes from Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli ensured the Gunners made a full recovery after being stunned by Cameron Archer’s opener for the visitors, before Bukayo Saka confirmed the three points late on.

It meant Arsenal became only the second club in Premier League history to record 400 home wins, and they remain within one point of Premier League pace-setters Liverpool before the international break.

Southampton, who still only have one point after seven games, had struggled amid incessant Arsenal pressure from the outset but, albeit at times unconvincingly, the visitors successfully held out until half-time.

Saints took an unexpected lead 10 minutes after the restart, Archer providing a neat finish on the counter attack after Raheem Sterling, making his first league start for the Gunners, was dispossessed by Mateus Fernandes.

That only served to spark Arsenal into life, however, and the hosts responded just three minutes later when Havertz curved an excellent finish in off the post, before Martinelli timed his run perfectly to meet Saka’s cross at the back post.

With Arsenal unable to put the game out of reach, Southampton produced a spirited response but were twice denied by the woodwork when Dibling’s effort deflected on to the post and Adam Armstrong hit the crossbar from the resulting corner.

But Saka, provider of his side’s first two goals, scored the third in the closing stages with a clinical finish, as Arsenal extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 16 matches.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta later described Saka, who has seven assists in as many league games this season, as “unbelievable”.

“He has the capacity to change and decide games. That is his maturity and it’s another step in what he wants,” Arteta said.

“When you do it at home, in big games and when the team needs him, that’s what defines a top player. If we want to be at the top, sometimes players have to create those moments and he certainly did that again today.”

Saka stars in Arsenal fightback

Arsenal required a dramatic late show to rescue three points against Leicester last weekend and, for a long period, their latest meeting with one of the promoted clubs again threatened to prove complicated.

It took Southampton’s opener to animate Arsenal, until then bordering on complacent in their dominance and infuriatingly wasteful in pursuit of a breakthrough.

But the response is what will matter most to Arteta, enjoying his longest unbeaten streak as Arsenal boss, with five wins from seven – along with two draws achieved with 10 men – representing a very promising start to their latest Premier League title challenge.

Saka once again proved invaluable to the Gunners’ cause, with his role in all three goals taking his tally to 10 goal involvements in 10 games in all competitions this season.

The England international kick-started the comeback by dispossessing Flynn Downes and teeing up Havertz, then lofting a wonderful cross to Martinelli before getting the goal his performance deserved.

With his equaliser, Havertz became the first Arsenal player to score in seven consecutive home appearances in all competitions since Robin van Persie in March 2012, as he continues to flourish as the Gunners’ frontman.

It appeared set to be a long afternoon for Southampton as they weathered wave after wave of Arsenal attacks in the early stages, but Russell Martin’s side grew in belief as they restricted Arsenal to just one first-half shot on target.

That saw Thomas Partey, deployed at right-back in the absence of the injured Jurrien Timber, denied by former Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale before Jan Bednarek denied Sterling on the rebound.

But Saints’ joy was short-lived following Archer’s shock opener and the visitors were ultimately overrun in the closing stages, following a triple change by Arteta which saw Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and summer signing Mikel Merino inject much-needed energy.

Despite positives for Martin to take, not least their resilience, they have now matched their worst ever top-flight run, going a 20th match without a win for the first time since 1969.

By BBC Sports