The Arsenal supporters who were delayed prior to kick-off at least had a good excuse. A combination of the typically erratic Sunday rail service and weather-induced traffic chaos was their explanation but, for the second successive week, their team’s defence was also inexplicably absent at the start of the match.
Yes, super-sub Olivier Giroud did later arrive to rescue a point with an 88th-minute header, but it was no exaggeration to say that Charlie Austin could have scored four times for Southampton in an extraordinary eight-minute opening burst.
The similarities to Arsenal’s match against Manchester United last week were impossible to ignore, and after seeing his team drop valuable points despite again having around 70 per cent of possession, manager Arsene Wenger even admitted that the problem may have been psychological. “I felt that the Manchester United game played a bit of a part in the heads of our defenders,” he said. “They were a bit apprehensive to start. That’s why sometimes it’s not too good to talk about a problem because you create an even bigger one.”
The positive for Arsenal was the benefit again of having such a distinct option off the bench as Giroud, whose goals to minutes ratio continues to overshadow most of his team-mates. With the January transfer window fast approaching, Wenger again also reiterated his opposition to the French striker leaving. “Why should we lose an important player?” he asked. “It’s up to us. He will start games.”
Austin had been similarly frustrated at a lack of starting opportunities at Southampton until his recent recall coincided with a wider improvement, and he finished emphatically here after three minutes. Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker had come back into the team following a thigh injury to Shkodran Mustafi but was easily dispossessed by Austin who then exchanged passes with Dusan Tadic before shooting confidently past Petr Cech.
The presence of Mertesacker seemed to have disorientated Arsenal defensively, and Southampton could and should soon have been further ahead. Austin was then released by Tadic after Mertesacker had again been caught, but Cech got down well to save his low shot.
The Southampton striker was then only marginally offside after again getting behind the Arsenal defence before also hitting the post from a narrowly offside position after running onto Ryan Bertrand’s cross.
Austin has now scored four goals in his past four games but admitted that Southampton missed their big chance in that opening salvo. “We get the second and it’s over – one’s not enough in the Premier League,” he said.
Arsenal remained defensively vulnerable throughout, but they did eventually at least settle into a passing rhythm that allowed them to dominate possession.
