Arsenal have been dealt another massive blow in their quest to win the Premier League after failing to beat Southampton in a clash on Friday night. In a thrilling match at the Emirates Stadium, the league leaders were held to a draw by the struggling Saints, as they fought back from a two-goal deficit to salvage a point.
Southampton got off to a dream start when Carlos Alcaraz took advantage of an Aaron Ramsdale error to score after just 28 seconds. It was the second time this season that Arsenal had conceded the fastest goal at home in the Premier League this season, having conceded after 9 seconds in the meeting with Bournemouth earlier this year. Theo Walcott, facing his former club, subsequently doubled the Saints' lead before Gabriel Martinelli pulled one back for Arsenal ahead of the half-time break.
3 - Southampton are the first team in Premier League history to start the day bottom of the table and score 3+ goals against the team starting the day top. Shock. pic.twitter.com/KipTyqR64e
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 21, 2023
However, the mission was further complicated when Duje Caleta-Car restored Southampton's two-goal cushion. With Arsenal counting on their resilience once more and refusing to give up, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka scored in the 88th and 90th minutes, respectively, to earn the host a point. The draw agonisingly leaves them five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City, who have two games in hand and host Arsenal next Wednesday.
3 - Only Southampton (1) have kept fewer clean sheets in home matches in the Premier League this season than Arsenal (3). Leaky. pic.twitter.com/2eE44hy5rJ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 21, 2023
9 & 27 - The two quickest goals scored in the Premier League this season have both been conceded by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium: nine seconds against Bournemouth in March and 27 seconds against Southampton tonight. Calamity. pic.twitter.com/TGZ5oRrNrL
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 21, 2023
Arsenal have been dealt another massive blow in their quest to win the Premier League after failing to beat Southampton in a clash on Friday night. In a thrilling match at the Emirates Stadium, the league leaders were held to a draw by the struggling Saints, as they fought back from a two-goal deficit to salvage a point.
The result marked the Gunners' third consecutive draw in the league as it follows two consecutive draws against Liverpool and West Ham United in their previous two games. Southampton, meanwhile, remain rooted to the bottom of the table and are three points from safety, having failed to win in their last seven league games.
2 - Bukayo Saka (23) and Gabriel Martinelli (20) are only the second pair of teammates aged 21 and under to both record 20+ goal involvements in a single Premier League campaign, after Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney in 2006-07 for Manchester United. Starboys. pic.twitter.com/Duj9WPLLl4
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 21, 2023