Arsenal finally got the break they needed to win the game as they were pressing hard against a game and difficult Southampton.
The match featured debuts for Lucas Perez and Shkodran Mustafi, both of whom showed they can play in the Premier League, but will need a little more time to adjust.
The first half started slowly and it was Southampton who would take the lead in the 18th minute, when Tadic’s free-kick rebounded off the crossbar and bounced into the goal off Petr Cech’s back.
Arsenal finally came to life and scored an important equalizer ten minutes later when Koscielny executed a superb bicycle kick in the penalty area melee after an Arsenal corner.
The second half saw Arsenal dominate, but it was the Saints who had the better chances. Shane Long, in particular, squandered three chances.
The first chance saw him break through put hit wide of the goal. The third chance needed a good tap into the open goal, but he just nudged the ball and Cech recovered.
Arsenal’s penalty was a lucky one … not every referee would’ve given it to us, with the contact from the defender on Giroud being not so clearcut. But we got the penalty and Santi held his nerve.
Player Ratings:
Cech 6: Could he have done better on the goal? Perhaps he could’ve been better positioned, but he almost made a spectacular save. He made a couple of important stops in the second half, but he wasn’t severely tested.
Bellerin 7: He was plain average in the first half, making several needless giveaways. In the second half he played well, breaking forward on the overlap a number of times. He had one shot that fizzed just wide of the post.
Mustafi 7: Like Bellerin, he made a couple of poor passes in the first half. However he was not shy with the ball and he was quite vocal out on the field. He was pretty good on defence today.
Koscielny 8: He had a solid defensive outing with his new partner. Koscielny has a habit of scoring important goals and today’s was critical. If the team went in at halftime behind, the outcome may have been different. His goal was spectacular as well. In the buildup to the final goal, he took a kick to his face which left his eye socket bruised. Hopefully he’ll be able to play against PSG.
Monreal 7: He got forward a number of times and had a good chance to score blocked (if he’d used his right foot the defender would’ve not got there in time).
Coquelin 7: A good game for Francis. He was tackling all over and he got forward into good positions a number of times.
Cazorla 9: Man of the match. He looked like one of the few players ready for the game and eager to drive us forward. He was at the centre of most of our offence today. Defensively, he was good as well, making a key interception in the second half. On the final penalty, he held his nerve and scored past Forster, who can intimidate other players.
Ozil 6: Looked disinterested or off the pace for much of the match. He didn’t speed up play and wasn’t able to influence the match as he should’ve. He had one good chance to score, but the shot was blocked. He came alive with the arrival of Alexis, making several fine passes, but it was too little.
Walcott 6: He appeared in flashes, but he never really came to life. He made a couple of decent crosses, but after that he did not have much of an impact.
Perez 6: A quiet game from the Spaniard. He had one shot, but it was blocked, and he tried a number of flicks and back heels, but most of them did not come off.
Oxlade-Chamberlain 6: Our liveliest player in the first half, he tried several times to go around the fullback and feed the ball to the middle. Unfortunately, most of his crosses were overhit.
Substitutes:
Sanchez 8: He made a difference once he came on and created a number of chances. One of his drives just climbed above the bar.
Giroud 6: He had several half chances and one good chance off a Cazorla through ball, but his header went wide. Drew the penalty in extra-time when Fonte tugged his shirt.
Iwobi 6: First game back after his injury. Took part in a number of attacking moves as the game stretched out and players became tired.