Arsenal came from behind to beat a decent Southampton side 3-1 on Tuesday to continue their Premier League resurgence.
Nicolas Pepe got a starting shirt and made it count, scoring the equaliser while Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette added to the tally as the Gunners secured their fifth win in six league games, meaning they leapfrog Saints and move into the top half of the table for the first time since mid-November.
Both sides faced off in the FA Cup during the weekend which saw Southampton runaway with a one-goal win. However, the first half here brought a flurry of goals as Arsenal took control of the game after going behind early on.
Stuart Armstrong opened the scoring inside 4 minutes with a beautiful volley from a clever James Ward-Prowse corner to hand the Saints the lead, but Nicolas Pepe answered his critics with a low finish inside the box from Granit Xhaka’s through ball 5 minutes later.
Saka got Arsenal’s second just before the break then turned provider for Lacazette in the second half for a well-constructed third.
Arsenal are now only five points off the top four having flirted with relegation over a month ago, while Saints are a point behind in 11th.
Watch the highlights of the match below
Mikel Arteta and some of Arsenal’s players dedicated the victory to club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who remains unavailable due to “personal family reasons”.
“I love how they support each other and protect each other. Auba is having a difficult time, we’re all behind him and this win is for him.”
Mikel Arteta after the match also said: “I don’t want to look at the table, I want to look at ourselves and how can we get better, the reason why we are performing better and winning more football matches and get that consistency that we’ve been lacking. Improve in many areas that we have to get better at it and see where we get by doing that.”
On Bukayo Saka: “He’s really humble, really respectful and at the same time has that character to demand the ball, to make decisions that are not very usual for his age. We need that leadership and he’s gaining that with his attitude and his performances.”
Stats and facts from the match (Backed by Opta)
- Only Man City have won more points (18) and conceded fewer goals (1) than Arsenal in the Premier League since Boxing Day (16 points and two goals conceded for the Gunners during this period).
- Only Alexandre Lacazette (12) has been involved in more goals for Arsenal in all competitions this season than Nicolas Pepe (9 – 6 goals, 3 assists).
- Alexandre Lacazette is the first Arsenal player to reach 10 goals in all competitions this season, whilst he has now hit double figures for goals in all four seasons since joining the Gunners.
Other Premier League results
- Crystal Palace 2-3 West Ham
- Newcastle United 1-2 Leeds United
- Southampton 1-3 Arsenal
- West Brom 0-5 Manchester City
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