The Gunners went 1-0 down to a Petr Cech own-goal in the first-half after Dusan Tadic’s free-kick smashed the bar and hit the goalkeeper on the back. The hosts did score with their first effort in the 29th minute and it was a memorable way for Laurent Koscielny to mark his 31st birthday.
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Match official Bobby Madley pointed to the spot deep into stoppage time when Jose Fonte made contact with Olivier Giroud, and Santi Cazorla slotted home the resulting kick to decide the game.
It looked like Wenger would have to settle for a point until referee Robert Madley’s late call allowed Cazorla to secure a second win of the season for Arsenal. We are just going to try and win every game, be it in the Champions League or domestically.
– The Gunners have already won more Premier League penalties in 2016-17 (3) than they did in the whole of 2015-16 (2).
“He is one of the most experienced players we have here now”, said Wenger.
“Honestly, everyone tells me it’s a penalty, but I haven’t seen it yet”.
Arsene Wenger’s touchline attire of grey rain jacket and black pants was the reverse of Saints’ boring kit of black shirts and grey shorts.
Arsenal face an anxious wait to discover whether or not a swollen cheekbone will sideline Laurent Koscielny for the Champions League clash with PSG on Tuesday.
Mustafi played well defensively but gave the ball away sloppily on a couple of occasions, while Perez struggled to get involved in Arsenal’s attack until the second half.
The trip to Paris, then, lies ominously on the horizon with neither the bookmakers nor Arsenal’s fans placing much faith in their chances of returning with three points.
“When you lose the first home game you can not afford to drop points in the second”.
Southampton’s next match is the first of their Europa League campaign, at home to Sparta Prague on Thursday.
In the second half Arsenal fans voiced their displeasure at the average performance on display as they never really looked like finding a victor until stoppage-time.
Fonte is not the first player to be penalised for grappling in the penalty box this season, with Ryan Shawcross and Raheem Sterling both giving away soft penalties in Manchester City’s 4-1 victory over Stoke City on August 20.
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Heung-Min Son, brought in for Erik Lamela after he played for Argentina in midweek, scored with two first-time finishes either side of the interval and England internationals Dele Alli and Harry Kane, both of whom scored doubles back in April, then found the net for the first time this season.
