Arsenal stages late escape to snatch 3-3 draw, but title hopes hit

Arsenal leads the table by five points from Manchester City but has now played two games more and has to go to the Etihad on Wednesday.

Arsenal came back from two goals down to draw the match but that was not enough to prevent it from slipping in the title race. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Arsenal struck two late goals to rescue a point in a pulsating 3-3 home draw with bottom club Southampton but its Premier League title hopes suffered another blow on a night of frazzled nerves in north London on Friday.

The Gunners trailed by two goals inside 15 minutes with Carlos Alcaraz and former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott silencing the Emirates crowd.

Gabriel Martinelli struck back for the Gunners after 20 minutes and Arsenal was millimetres away from equalising in stoppage time at the end of a pulsating half as Ben White’s header was cleared off the line.

Southampton might have wilted under the home pressure in the second half but instead restored its two-goal lead in the 66th minute as substitute Duje Caleta-Car headed in at the back post.

With defeat looming, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard then curled home in the 87th minute and two minutes later Bukayo Saka scored from close range to spark bedlam in the stadium.

Arsenal laid siege to the Southampton goal but could not find the crucial winner.

Both sets of players collapsed to the turf at the final whistle after a result that helped neither side.

Arsenal leads the table by five points from Manchester City but has now played two games more and has to go to the Etihad on Wednesday for what could be a pivotal clash. Southampton remains bottom with 24 points.