The Premier League leaders were nonetheless disappointed by a negative outcome that put their championship challenge in peril on Friday, despite Arsenal staging an unbelievable late comeback to save a 3-3 draw against Southampton.
Despite trailing 3-1 with only two minutes remaining in regulation at the Emirates Stadium, Mikel Arteta’s team managed to earn a point.
Bukayo Saka seized the equaliser in stoppage time after Martin Odegaard’s goal had ignited Arsenal’s comeback.
Nevertheless, Arteta concluded with his head in his hands despite the exciting escape since the Gunners will travel to second-place Manchester City on Wednesday knowing that Pep Guardiola’s club has the key to the crown.
City trail Arsenal by five points, but the champions have two games in hand because of their participation in the FA Cup semifinal matchup against Sheffield United on Saturday.
No matter what the north Londoners do, City will be declared the champions if they defeat Arsenal or draw with them, then win the rest of their games.
Arsenal at least had incredible character to buck the trend after blowing back-to-back two-goal leads in costly 2-2 draws against West Ham and Liverpool in their previous two games.
After only 27 seconds, Arsenal custodian Aaron Ramsdale had given Southampton’s Carlos Alcaraz the lead.
Theo Walcott, a former striker for Arsenal, extended bottom-of-the-table Southampton’s lead in a bittersweet turn of events for Gunners supporters.
Prior to Duje Caleta-Car’s header for Southampton’s third, Gabriel Martinelli restored parity for Arsenal.
Arsenal averted suffering its first league loss in ten games thanks to Odegaard and Saka.
But Arsenal is under a lot of strain now that City has won six straight league games, and Arteta’s young team might disintegrate if they lose their crucial match at the Etihad Stadium.
As Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, and Sol Campbell joined the crowd at the Emirates, the 2004 Gunners squad—the last to win the trophy—supported Arsenal’s championship contenders.
However, even having that famous trio there could not calm their worries when Ramsdale’s startling error in the opening minute exposed Arteta’s team’s frayed nerves.
worried Arsenal
Ramsdale gained control of the ball and attempted a kamikaze pass towards Thomas Partey on the edge of the box, but the pass totally missed the midfielder.
Alcaraz gladly took the offer before slamming his shot past the exposed Ramsdale and causing the Emirates to go silent in shock.
The tension pumping through Arsenal, both on the pitch and in the spectators, was obvious, and Southampton scored again in the 14th minute following another catastrophic blunder by the hosts.
Partey lost possession of the ball to Alcaraz, and his exquisite pass forced Gabriel Magalhaes to move out of the way. This provided Walcott the opportunity to charge into the area and score with unerring accuracy past Ramsdale.
The fact that Walcott chose not to celebrate out of respect for his former team did little to lessen the pain.
Immediately following the goal, Oleksandr Zinchenko gathered the stars of Arsenal into a huddle in an effort to rally the team’s shell-shocked players.
When Saka drove down the right wing and dragged his cross back towards Martinelli, who stroked a beautiful volley past Gavin Bazunu from 10 yards, Arsenal narrowed the deficit in the 20th minute.
However, Caleta-Car appeared to have struck the decisive blow in the 66th minute.
In order to score from close range, Caleta-Car leapt highest as James Ward-Prowse’s corner curled towards the far post.
Odegaard defeated Bazunu in the 88th minute with a beautiful curling shot from the edge of the box because, to their tremendous credit, Arsenal refused to give up.
In the 90th minute, Saka scored the equalise with a superb finish after Reiss Nelson’s attempt was deflected by Bazunu as Arsenal surged forward in waves, sensing a stunning escape.
Leandro Trossard’s shot hit the crossbar, and Nelson’s deflected effort went agonisingly wide minutes later, giving Arsenal a chance to steal the victory. The Gunners’ championship ambitions are now dangling by a thread.
AFP
