Cameron Archer gives the lead but Arsenal brilliant in 3-1 comeback win
- Cameron Archer scores first goal for Southampton to give a 1-0 lead to the Saints.
- Bukayo Saka's impressive performance inspires Arsenal to a 3-1 comeback win.
By Aakash Desai
Southampton prepared to face Mikel Arteta's Premier League title favourites Arsenal in the away fixture aiming to give a better response after the Bournemouth defeat. Although the home side were expected to take the three points from the match, Southampton were aiming to take an important point from this match before heading into the international break. Manager Russell Martin started Ross Stewart as the centre foreward following a good second half display against Bournemouth and brought in Kyle Walker-Peters and Ryan Manning in the place of Charlie Taylor and Lesley Ugochukwu in a three centre-back formation.
Arsenal started the match by making good chances down the right flank and star forward Bukayo Saka often created some spaces for Mikel Arteta's side around the edge of the box. Southampton played defensively in the first half and made a lot of crucial blocks and important clearances to avoid conceding early goals in the match. Meanwhile, Ross Stewart picked up a muscle injury on his first start for Southampton and had to be replaced by new signing Cameron Archer around the half an hour mark.
Cameron Archer gives the lead but Arsenal brilliant in 3-1 comeback win
In the second half, the Saints started advancing more inside the final third and just ten minutes into the second half were rewarded with an important goal from Cameron Archer. The £17 million summer signing scored his first goal for Southampton after missing a few good chances in recent weeks. However, Russell Martin's side couldn't hold on to their lead and captain Flynn Downes made a huge mistake as he gave away possession to Saka in his own half, and the Arsenal star gave an assist on Kai Havertz's 1-1 equaliser after three minutes.
3 players to make the most appearances for both Southampton and Arsenal. 3 players to make the most appearances for both Southampton and Arsenal. dark. Next
After that, Southampton couldn't keep their defensive resilience and Saka once again delivered a great pass into the path of Gabriel Martinelli, who attempted a near post finish and managed to place the ball into the back of the net despite Ramsdale's efforts. Mikel Arteta's side continued their momentum and added a third as well, with Bukayo Saka taking advantage of a misplaced pass from the Saints defence inside the box to register his third goal contribution in the match. Although Southampton had taken the 1-0 lead early in the second half, Bukayo Saka's Man of the Match performance with a goal and two assists secured another win for Arsenal in the Premier League.
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