Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette scores their third goal. Photograph: Andy Rain/Reuters
Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette scores their third goal. Photograph: Andy Rain/Reuters
Tue 26 Jan 2021 17.12 EST
Last modified on Tue 26 Jan 2021 23.36 EST
As the wind and rain swirled around St Mary’s, an Arsenal side propelled by the exuberance of Bukayo Saka swept aside Southampton to exact revenge and record a fifth win in six Premier League matches. Nicolas Pépé cancelled out Stuart Armstrong’s sweet opener before goals by Saka and Alexandre Lacazette helped Arsenal train their sights on the top four after jumping to eighth, although almost all of those above them have games in hand.
ARSENAL enacted instant revenge over Saints for Saturday’s FA Cup exit, coming from behind to win 3-1 at St Mary’s. While Saints progressed into round five of the cup at the weekend, Premier League points were up for grabs this time and the hosts started perfectly with Stuart Armstrong firing in an early opener. However, Arsenal rallied to lead by half-time through goals from Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka. And the win was sealed with around 20 minutes to play when Alexandre Lacazette tapped home a third. Victory lifts the Gunners above Saints in the table, leaving Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men in 11th.
‘I should’ve done better’: Southampton ace criticises his own performance in Arsenal loss
Photo by ANDY RAIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Southampton defender Yan Valery admits he “should have done better” during a rare Premier League start in last night’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, speaking to the Saints’ official website.
Was the player to blame or the system?
Ralph Hasenhuttl instructs his full-backs to push aggressively up the pitch in transition but, when Southampton lost possession inside their own half nine minutes in at St Mary’s, Valery was caught out as Xhaka played an inch-perfect through ball into the channel for Nicolas Pepe to cancel out Stuart Armstrong’s early opener.
Southampton set up Arsenal tie after edging past Shrewsbury in FA Cup
Date published: Tuesday 19th January 2021 10:14 - Robert McCarthy
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl’s decision to mix youth and experience paid off after his side secured their place in the FA Cup fourth round with a 2-0 win over Shrewsbury in their rearranged tie following Covid-19 issues.
Dan N’Lundulu netted on his first start for Southampton in the 17th minute before James Ward-Prowse sealed the win with a clever curled free-kick, setting up a clash with Arsenal in the next round.
The Shrews were without manager Steve Cotterill who had to watch the game from his hospital bed as he continues his recovery from Covid-19. The 56-year-old was admitted to hospital after his symptoms took a turn for the worse and has spent time in intensive care.