Southampton and Arsenal faced each other this Tuesday night at St.Mary’s Stadium. We have the player ratings.
The Saints faced Arsenal in the Premier League just three days after knocking the Gunners out of the FA Cup. Arteta’s men were looking for revenge and to surpass Southampton in the table.
The Gunners couldn’t have had a worse start to the fixture. Hopes were high as Lacazette almost scored before the second minute. However, Arsenal lost their focus as Ward-Prowse delivered a clever corner on the edge of the box. Naturally, Armstrong took advantage of the space he was given and put the ball in the bottom right corner on the volley.
However, Arteta’s squad didn’t lose hope and began their search for an equalizer. In fact, they didn’t have to wait long as Nicolas Pepe settled down his critics with an ice-cool finish before the tenth minute mark. The Saints couldn’t handle Arsenal high pressing and Saka easily recovered the ball on a dangerous zone. The young forward delivered a perfect pass that Pepe was almost required to finish.
It was a very entertaining first half with dangerous opportunities for both sides. However, Arsenal were looking more comfortable in the game and that was clearly shown when Lacazette made up for his early miss by putting his team in the lead before half-time. The striker delivered a stunning assist to Saka, who went smoothly past the goalkeeper and scored in an effortless way.
If there were any doubts before, it soon became clear that the Gunners were bound to win this fixture. In fact, Cedric Soares was determined to make Arsenal fans forget about Tierney tonight. The Portuguese right-back may lose the man-of-the-match award for Saka, but he was also a valid choice for the award. Playing on the left side of the pitch tonight, Cedric deserves a lot of points for his incredible long-ball to Saka. The 19-year-old then proceeded to assist Lacazette, who lost his balance but still managed to put the ball in the net.
Player ratings
Southampton: McCarthy (5), Volkins (5), Stephens (5), Bednarek (5), Valery (5), Walcott (6), Ward-Prowse (7), Diallo (6), Armstrong (7), Adams (5), Ings (6).
Bench: Redmond (5), N’Lundulu (5), Watts (5).
Arsenal: Leno (7), Bellerin (6), Holding (7), Luiz (5), Soares (8), Partey (7), Xhaka (7), Pepe (7), Smith Rowe (6), Saka (8), Lacazette (7).
Bench: Willian (5), Elneny (5), Willock (N/A).
Feel free to make your pick on the player’s ratings and performances using the widget below.
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