Southampton 3-2 Arsenal: Gunners’ long unbeaten run comes to end as Saints win on Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first home game
Ralph Hasenhuttl won his first home game in charge of Southampton thanks to Charlie Austin’s 85th-minute header earning them a 3-2 win over an in-form Arsenal at St Mary’s.Substitute Austin took advantage of a mistake from Gunners goalkeeper Bernd Leno to also put an end to Arsenal’s 22-game unbeaten run.
6Austin scored the winning goalArsenal, whose 22-game unbeaten run came to an end on the south coast, twice equalised through Henrik Mkhitaryan following a pair of headers from Danny Ings.The victory was Southampton’s first in the Premier League on home soil since late April and prompted scenes of jubilation in the stands followed by a lap of honour on the pitch.Hasenhuttl sent free beer vouchers to Saints’ success-starved season ticket holders during the week in an attempt to have “everyone in our boat to row with us”.His gesture, combined with an energetic, hard-working display seemed to do the trick.
6Hasenhuttl could barely contain his excitement at the final whistleThe 51-year-old, who replaced the sacked Mark Hughes on December 5, was greeted by a standing ovation ahead of kick-off.And the noise levels increased significantly as Ings twice nodded in during an entertaining first half.Armenia international Mkhitaryan gave the hosts a couple of reality checks with a brace of his own, but it was to be Saints’ day after Austin pounced.Arsenal manager Unai Emery was suffering a defensive headache so handed captain Laurent Koscielny his first league start since he suffered an Achilles problem in early May. With Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Shkodran Mustafi banned, Emery also opted to deploy midfielder Granit Xhaka as a makeshift central defender on the left of a back three.Playmaker Mesut Ozil, meanwhile, was left out of the Gunners’ starting line-up for the fifth successive top-flight game, with Alexandre Lacazette joining him on the bench.Southampton had won only one of 19 home league games dating back to November 2017, scoring just 16 times during that spell.Hasenhuttl has insisted clean sheets are his initial priority, but his team were rewarded for their bright start and attacking intent with 20 minutes played.
6Ings scored two goals on his return from injuryMatt Targett swung in a superb left-wing cross and Ings – back from a hamstring problem – nodded powerfully past Germany international Leno.The opening goal prompted a passionate celebration from Hasenhuttl, although he quickly cut it short after realising he had encroached into Emery’s technical area.His joy was short-lived though as Mkhitaryan headed Nacho Monreal’s cross into the bottom right corner eight minutes later at the end of a well-worked moved involving Alex Iwobi.Jan Bednarek then produced a last-ditch interception to deny Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang a tap-in.
6It was not Aubameyang’s day in front of goalSouthampton’s enthusiastic, pressing style was warmly received by their fans and they edged back ahead a minute before the break.This time it was all about Ings as he directed a superb looping header into the right side of Leno’s goal after Yan Valery lifted the ball into the area.Emery reacted to the setback by introducing Lacazette in place of the injured Hector Bellerin at half-time and switching to a back four.The changes had an immediate impact. Lacazette caught Oriol Romeu dawdling in possession just outside the Soutampton box, allowing Mkhitaryan to fire home from the edge of the box via a heavy deflection off Jannik Vestergaard which deceived Alex McCarthy.
Getty
6Mkhitaryan scored both of Arsenal’s goalsArsenal had not lost since August 18 but, after surviving a scare when Shane Long had a goal disallowed with 15 minutes remaining, their defence was once again breached.Long burst away down the right-hand side and, after Leno came for his cross and failed to collect, Austin had the simple task of heading into the unguarded net to spark joyous scenes and move the club out of the relegation zone.
6Have Saints turned a corner?
Feb 28, 2019 · Manchester City and their stable of sister clubs have signed a new 10-year kit deal with Puma worth £650 million. It is understood the contract with Puma will earn the City Football Group (CFG
Manchester City news: Premier League champions swap Nike for
Top goalscorers in Europe: Which strikers are over/under performing their expected goals, including Messi, Kane, Salah, and Ronaldo by: 161385360554578 — Talk Sport 9 Apr All top goalscorers go through runs of good and bad form - even Lionel Messi has an off day, just not that often.
Goals Archives - SportsAlert
Former Swansea striker Bafetimbi Gomis scares ball boy with
Glen Johnson has made shocking revelations about how the players at Stoke City knew they were going to be relegated from the Premier League last season.. Stoke slipped out of the top flight in the 2017/18 campaign after a disastrous year where they won just seven games and had the worst goal difference in the league.
Stoke City star Saido Berahino late twice in three days
Mo Salah was once again highly praised by his manager Jurgen Klopp after Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-0 on Sunday.. The 26-year-old smashed home his team's second goal at Anfield as the Reds earned a momentous victory in their pursuit of the Premier League title.
Klopp insists Liverpool aren't relying on Salah's goals this
Harry Redknapp on I'm a Celebrity: Southampton poke fun at
Robbie Williams is headlining a show at British Summer at Hyde Park (Image: AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo). Just a month after beating Bolton Wanderers at Wembley to lift the League Cup, pop star Robbie Williams was blamed for Liverpool losing away at Aston Villa after travelling to and from the game on the team coach.
Liverpool fixtures 2019/20 in full: Key dates and match
Transfer news LIVE: Arsenal, Liverpool, Man United, Real Madrid and rest of Europe - deals and signings Jose Mourinho 'willing to talk to Newcastle about manager's job if Sheik Khaled's takeover
Jose Mourinho claims a 'nice guy' manager can end up becoming a 'puppet' — in what could be construed as a swipe at his Manchester United successor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.. Mourinho also said that
Jose Mourinho: A nice guy manager can end up becoming a puppet
Frank Lampard has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association (FA) after Derby County's Championship game against Birmingham City. Lampard confronted referee Simon Hooper after a 2-2
Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Manchester United defender Phil Jones with plenty of competition beginning to swarm around the centre-back - but Jones would be the perfect
Arsenal news: Man Utd defender Phil Jones 'heavily backed' to
0 Comments