In a game that could have seen Arsenal extend their win tally in the league to five wins out of seven Premier League games, a resilient Southampton side made that a hard task at hand.
Action in the opening 45 minutes was limited to only a few paltry attempts from Arsenal, and the scoring opened in the second half when the away side went one-nil up through summer signing Cameron Archer.
This turn of events seemed to finally get the Gunners up and running, as a trifecta of goals came from Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Kai Havertz. Saka has now picked up seven assists in seven PL games - and is now only four away from his league-high of 11, set in the 2022/2023 season.
Story of the game
Arsenal named a lineup featuring three changes from their starting elevens against Leicester and Paris Saint-Germain.
Gabriel Jesus slotted into the striker position in place of Havertz who moved into the left-sided central midfield position. Martinelli and Jurrien Timber were replaced by Raheem Sterling and Jorginho respectively, with Thomas Partey moving to right-back to accommodate the Italian.
Southampton’s side featured a host of changes following their 3-1 loss to Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth, as a formation change to a more defensive 3-4-2-1 saw players like Maxwel Cornet and Ryan Fraser out, and Ryan Manning and Kyle Walker-Peters in.
The game started as most games at the Emirates do - with a convincing start for Arsenal getting the Gunners’ fanbase's hopes up that the team could open the scoring early.
A steady Southampton defense came into action quickly, with Jesus’ shot in the fifth minute forcing a block off the line from Polish center-back Jan Bednarek, with another opportunity having come a minute before for the Brazilian.
More action off the ball would be required for the Saints later as a double team on Saka in the box allows the Southampton defense to clear, in what had been a nervy start so far.
In the next fifteen minutes, the game state seemed to relax as neither side managed to establish a clear pattern of play - the main drama being disciplinary. The first yellow of the game was given to Walker-Peters courtesy of a late tackle on Saka, and another would follow as Bednarek fouled Kai Havertz in the Southampton half.
A shot from 25 yards out from Saka would get the action going again, and following another long shot from Gabriel Magalhães the best chance of the game fell to Jorginho.
The diminutive Italian midfielder chested a ball down just outside the box and sweetly struck the ball on a half-volley attempt that saw the shot go wide of both Aaron Ramsdale and the Southampton net.
Arsenal had only one shot on target in the half - coming just before the half-time whistle as a Saka pass to the edge of the box found Thomas Partey. Partey fired off a shot, but the attempt was straight at the body of Ramsdale.
The first half was a frustrating one for the Gunners, as their singular shot on target had hardly unsettled Southampton and the away side looked poised to give Arsenal some hard work heading into the second half.
And hard work it would be. Only nine minutes into the second half, the Saints would find themselves a goal to the good thanks to a shot buried by Cameron Archer past the frame of Raya. Archer was assisted by Mateus Fernandes, with Brazilian Fernandes notching his first-ever assist in the Premier League.
A mere four minutes later the hosts level up the game at 1-1. A determined Saka stripped Southampton midfielder Flynn Downes of the ball and threaded a pass through to Kai Havertz, who wrongfooted Taylor Harwood-Bellis and smashed the ball home.
Following the equalizer, the game seemed to be in Arsenal's favor again. And in the 67th minute, the Gunners got a second. Saka would again be the provider, as the winger's second assist of the game was a cross that flew over Southampton's last line of defense and straight onto the boot of a freshly substituted Martinelli.
The left-winger controlled the ball perfectly and hammered it into the net from a short distance, and Arsenal now had their first lead of the game.
Although the match quietened down yet again following the goal, the odds were now firmly on Arsenal's side and the home side knew this. A brimming-with-confidence Saka weaved his way past a dumfounded Ryan Manning that if not for the alertness of Ramsdale, might have easily put his side 3-1 up.
Southampton would cause a brief scare for Arsenal, as youngster Tyler Dibling had a shot goalwards that ended in a corner, but ultimately the set-piece was claimed by Raya and the score remained the same.
The 85th minute saw the long-awaited return of Takehiro Tomiyasu to the Emirates pitch, with the Japanese defender having been out since July after an injury picked up in pre-season.
And it appeared Tomiyasu had brought good luck with him as two minutes later, Arsenal had a third. A quick break thanks to Havertz set up Saka, who slotted the ball cleanly past Ramsdale to make it three and add a goal to pair with the winger's two assists.
A final great chance was delivered thanks to a corner, but Saka could not complete a hat-trick of assists as a desperate Saints defense stopped the ball short of the line to clear.
"I feel excited about what is to come, I feel really excited about the team after today."
Southampton manager Russell Martin has a positive look on things today for the away side, despite the result.
VAVEL USA's Man of the Match
Bukayo Saka. A simply superb display by the 23-year-old, who is now putting himself firmly in the early runnings for Premier League Player of the Year. A goal and two assists are deserved output for his efforts today, with four big chances created now giving the Arsenal star 13 big chances created for the season, six ahead of second-placed Cole Palmer.
A mention has to go to Southampton's Mateus Fernandes and Cameron Archer, as the youngsters combined for a goal that was their side's only goal of the game, and the Saints will be hoping for continued output as they look to pick up their first win of the season.
"He has the capacity to change games, to decide games."
High praise of Bukayo Saka from manager Mikel Arteta in the Arsenal manager's post-match press conference.
What is next?
An international break will give both sides two weeks' rest, and Arsenal will resume action at the Vitality Stadium away to Bournemouth in a game that should see the Gunners extend their PL win streak to three in a row. The game will be on Saturday, October 19th, and will kick off at 12:30 pm ET / 9:30 am PT. Details of where to stream will be announced in the following days.
Southampton's next game will see the Saints face Leicester in what is sure to be a must-watch game for both sets of fans and Premier League viewers alike, as both teams are likely to be in a relegation scrap come to the end of the season and will be desperate to pick three points up. The game will also be on October 19th and will take place at 10:00 am ET / 7:00 am PT.
