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FULL-TIME: SOUTHAMPTON 0-2 ARSENAL
First points for Arsenal after the restart post coronavirus lockdown. Two defensive errors proved costly for the Saints as they remain 14th in the table. The Gunners move to 9th in the table and are now one point behind Carlo Ancelotti's Everton, which is on 41 points.
90+5' Saka wins a corner after he is put through by Aubameyang on the left. Arsenal goes for a short corner as Saka whips in a dangerous cross for Lacazette at the near post. The Frenchman gets a head to it but the ball goes wide off the far post.
90+3' Southampton wins a free kick near the centre as Ward-Prowse floats a ball into the box. Bellerin manages to get a head to it as Martinez collects the ball.
90' Aubameyang puts Southampton under pressure again as he squares the ball across the goalmouth. Bertrand sticks out his leg to clear the danger.
87' GOAL ARSENAL! Lacazette crashes his free kick straight into the Southampton wall but gets the ball back on the rebound. McCarthy is unable to collect it properly and Willock pounces on the loose ball to put Arsenal 2-0 up.
84' RED CARD FOR JACK STEPHENS! A sloppy backpass from Hojbjerg puts Aubameyang with a clear goal in sights. Stephens brings down the striker with a petulant tackle and the referee goes for the red card straight away.
80' Arteta sends in Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Alexandre Lacazette for Ceballos and Nektiah respectively. Southampton defenders go after the forwards as they foil Arsenal's attempts with strong challenges in the the final third.
78' SAVE! Southampton plays a long ball over the Arsenal defence as Long brings down the ball brilliantly and unleashes a stinging strike at the near post. Martinez does extremely well to keep it out and then jump on the loose ball.
76' Southampton's confidence on the ball grows as Armstrong plays the ball in from the right flank as Mustafi clears the danger.
73' Shot! Redmond is left unmarked on the near post as chests down a cross from Walker-Pieters and drills a low shot which crashes into the sidenetting.
71' Arteta sends in Joe Willock for Nicolas Pepe who comes off after a good outing. Tierney goes down with some kind of discomfort and is replaced by Sead Kolasinac.
68' Southampton clearly sensing an opportunity now. Armstrong goes for an Arjen Robben-esque attempt after cutting in from the left flank. However, there was too much power behind his shot as the ball sails over the goal.
66' Nketiah gets the better of Bednarek and lays it off for Aubameyang. The Arsenal skipper tries to lay it off for Nketiah, but McCarthy intercepts it to avert the danger.
63' Arsenal gives away a throw-in as Ward-Prowse hits a volley off Redmond's cut back. Luckily for Arsenal and Martinez, the ball sails over the crossbar.
61' The game has opened up in the second period with Arsenal looking good on the counter. However, the defence is struggling with aerial balls into the box as it scrambles to clear a Southampton corner.
59' A pinball game ensues inside the Southampton box after Arsenal breaks away through Xhaka who puts Saka through to the goal. The Bednarek blocks the attempt as it falls for Bellerin who smashes it into the crowd of red shirts.
57' Armstrong is presented with a chance on the edge of the box following a pass from Walker-Pieters. The midfielder takes it on the turn but his shot is tame and Martinez collects it easily.
54' Chance! Martinez hits a superb long ball which Aubameyang brings down in the middle third. The striker is completely unmarked and races off towards the goal. He pulls the trigger which is blocked by Bednarek, the spill over goes narrowly wide off the near post as the Saints breath easy.
53' Southampton starts the second half brightly as it keeps the ball in the Arsenal half. Ward-Prowse lays in a cross but Martinez collects it easily.
50' Redmond is brought down by Bellerin on the right flank as the referee comes to Southampton's rescue before Arsenal breaks away. Redmond and Bertrand play a superb one-two as the latter cuts it back for Hojbjerg lurking just outside the box. However, the midfielder is unable to keep his strike on target.
48' A dangerous tackle on Walker-Pieters by Saka has the referee reach out for a yellow card. Saka was lucky to escape a red for his clumsiness.
46' We are off for the second half! A double substitution for Southampton as Shane Long makes a long-awaited return to the pitch replacing Obafemi. Kyle Walker-Pieters comes on for Valery.
HALF-TIME: SOUTHAMPTON 0-1 ARSENAL
45+3' Nketiah, Aubameyang and Pepe break away quickly as Nketiah tries to put Pepe through to the goal but loses balance and McCarthy clears out the danger.
45' Nketiah runs at McCarthy looking to force another error from the goalkeeper but the Saints' goalie is alert this time and gets rid of the ball in time.
43' Valery makes a darting run behind the Arsenal defence but Holding catches upto him and wins a free kick for the Gunners.
41' Arsenal breaks away through Ceballos who plays the ball to Pepe who gets to the byline and curls in a shot. However, the winger's hit was too narrow and McCarthy plucks it out of air.
38' Bellerin makes a last ditch challenge after Bertrand is put through on the left flank by Ward-Prowse after a slew of failed tackles outside the box.
35' Southampton has been able to create few chances in this opening half but Arsenal is in full control of the proceedings. The Gunners are now moving the ball quickly around the back.
33' Bertrand goes down following a challenge on Bellerin who gets on the end of a long ball from behind.
30' Bellerin bombs forward on the flank but it stopped in his track by a group of red shirts near the halfline.
27' The players take a short drink break and Southampton creates an opportunity through Redmond's cross from the left flank. Bertrand takes the cross inside the box but sloppy first touch denies him a good chance at the goal.
23' Arsenal switch gears following the opener. It has used the width on the wings to its advantage. Tierney gets into the box but is taken off the ball by Bednarek.
20' GOAL ARSENAL! Terrible mistake from McCarthy. The Southampton goalkeeper fails to spot Nketiah closing in on him as he hits a pass straight at the forward. Nketiah calmly slots the ball into the back of the net.
19' Arsenal wins back-to-back corners but nothing comes off it. Aubameyang claims a handball by Ward-Prowse but the referee waves away his demands.
17' A dangerous cross from Aubameyang has the Saints' defence in disarray. Ceballos gets near the byline and pulls the triggers but is blocked by Bednarek.
14' Saka tries to cut in from the left but loses the ball following a strong challenge from Hojbjerg. The youngster goes down on the pitch in pain clutching his shin. To Arteta's relief, he is back on the pitch.
12' Mustafi goes for a clumsy lunge on Ings and gets booked. Its free kick in a dangerous area but Arsenal manages to clear it off easily.
10' OFF THE CROSSBAR! Aubameyang foxes Stephens on the left side and races off to the goal. The striker goes for the far post which beats the keeper but comes off the crossbar. Unlucky!
8' Ceballos plays a brilliant throughball which leaves Tierney with acres of space down the left. The winger lays it off for Pepe who slots it home, but the linesman had his flag up.
7' First shot on the goal by Arsenal. Southampton keeper McCarthy's clearance finds Pepe who lays it off for Aubameyang. The Gabonese striker has go from outside the box but the shot lacked power to trouble the keeper.
4' Southampton dominates possession in the opening quarter. Arsenal forwards try to press the backline but the host is comfortable moving the ball around.
2' Good start from Southampton. Ryan Bertrand whips in a cross from the opening minute as Saka fails to clear the ball. However, the Saints' forwards are unable to register a shot on the goal.
KICK-OFF! Southampton begins the proceedings from right to left. A long punt from behind is cleared away by Holding.
The Arsenal players have lined up on the pitch and wait for their opponents to walk out of the tunnel. Aubameyang will lead the Gunners in today's game. Mesut Ozil continues to warm the bench despite the three outfield changes Mikel Arteta has made for this match.
Lineups:
Arsenal (4-4-2): Martinez (GK); Bellerin, Tierney, Holding, Mustafi; Ceballos, Pepe, Xhaka, Saka; Aubameyang, Nketiah
Southampton (4-4-2): McCarthy (GK); Stephens, Bertrand, Bednarek, Valery; Ward-Prowse, Armstrong, Redmond, Hojbjerg; Ings, Obafemi
- Team News: Shane Long could make a return for the host while midfielder Moussa Djenepo remains suspended for the tie. Arsenal will have to do without the services of key players such as Sokratis, Gabriel Martinelli, Calum Chambers who are nursing injuries. David Luiz remains suspended for the match following his horror show in the 2-1 defeat against Brighton.
- What's at stake: Arsenal, which is 11th in the current standings, desperately needs a win to boost its hopes for European hopes. Southampton has a chance to go level on points with the Gunners if it can win today. A draw would see Arsenal move a place up to 10th behind Crystal Palace while Southampton will stay put at 14th.
- Form Guide: Arsenal - WWWLL, Southampton - LWLLW
- Good evening! As we approach the business end of Premier League 2019-20 season, European football hopeful Arsenal will face Southampton at the St. Mary's Stadium in search of first points since the league restart earlier this month.
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