Arsenal 3-2 Southampton: Three key players
By Chris Hughes
Yesterday afternoon Southampton were narrowly defeated by Arsenal in an entertaining affair at the Emirates Stadium – the game included five goals and two red cards.
Whilst positives can be taken from the loss, the ramifications of the defeat are far greater than they may seem – the Saints now only have one game in hand on those around them, meaning if they do win said match they could only rise up to the 17th on goal difference.
In Mark Hughes’ second league game in charge of Southampton, the side showed obvious improvements from the week before, with Shane Long taking advantage of some weak defending to score the opener.
Despite naming a weaker side due to their obvious focus on the Europa League, the Gunners drew level when an on-form Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a simple finish off a superb flick into the penalty area.
Danny Welbeck then got the first of an eventual brace, but not before Charlie Austin made an instant impact off the bench to give the Saints hope.
Next up for Southampton is the small task of facing Chelsea before a mid-week game against Leicester the following Thursday, as the fixture schedule looks to become more and more congested. But looking back to yesterday, who stood out for the away side?