Arsenal 3-3 Southampton: Player ratings as Leaders fight back but drop more points to struggling Saints

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Arsenal recovered from two goals down late on to draw 3-3 with bottom side Southampton, though the Premier League leaders ultimately dropped points for a third game running.

After squandering 2-0 leads to draw 2-2 in their past two games, Arsenal found themselves behind by that same scoreline inside 14 minutes in a thrilling contest at Emirates Stadium on Friday.

Carlos Alcaraz took advantage of an Aaron Ramsdale error inside 27 seconds and former Gunner Theo Walcott added a second, before Gabriel Martinelli pulled one back before half-time.

Duje Caleta-Car added a third for Southampton, but Martin Odegaard’s strike was followed up by Bukayo Saka’s 90th-minute leveller, leaving Arsenal five points ahead of Manchester City – who they face on Wednesday – having played two games more.

Arsenal player ratings (4-3-3)

GK: Aaron Ramsdale – 4/10 – A shocking start to the game which led to an unconvincing showing for the rest of the match.

RB: Ben White – 5/10 – Looked quite nervous on the ball and his narrow positioning, which felt more like an instruction than a decision, limited Arsenal’s play down the right.

CB: Rob Holding – 3/10 – Poor passing and disappointing decisions. Looked nervous from the very first second. Lost his marker for the third goal.

CB: Gabriel Magalhaes – 5/10 – Too safe in possession. Felt like he was under pressure and did not want to take any risks.

LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko – 5/10 – Deserves credit for his team talk which helped Arsenal sort themselves out, but that’s about all he got right.

DM: Thomas Partey – 5/10 – Not always composed but put himself about trying to impact the game at both ends of the pitch. His decision to try win the game from 30 yards was awful.

CM: Martin Odegaard – 6/10 – Played a little deeper than usual to try and help Partey on the defensive end as the Granit Xhaka replacement, but it didn’t really work. A great goal, however.

CM: Fabio Vieira – 4/10 – The weak link in Arsenal’s midfield. Poor positioning left Partey isolated at times.

RW: Bukayo Saka – 7/10 – Took a little while to get involved but quickly reminded Southampton of what he could do with his assist for Martinelli. A smart finish late on.

ST: Gabriel Jesus – 5/10 – Put himself about but found space hard to come by. Failed to make the most of a tricky one-on-one.

LW: Gabriel Martinelli – 8/10 – A sensational showing from the Brazilian. Looked a real menace whenever he was on the ball and took his goal well.


Substitutes

Leandro Trossard (57′ for Vieira) – 6/10

Eddie Nketiah (72′ for Zinchenko) – 5/10

Reiss Nelson (85′ for Martinelli) – N/A


Manager

Mikel Arteta – 5/10 – His setup was full of holes which Southampton exploited early on. Relied on Zinchenko’s team talk to turn things around.


Southampton player ratings (4-4-2)

GK: Gavin Bazunu – 6/10 – Alert to Arsenal’s threat but made the biggest impact as he wasted what felt like an hour delaying his kicking, all while not receiving a yellow card. The game’s the game.

RB: Kyle Walker-Peters – 5/10 – Really struggled up against Martinelli.

CB: Jan Bednarek – 6/10 – A solid start but was forced off by the medical staff after a really nasty landing late in the first half. Visibly furious at the decision.

CB: Armel Bella-Kotchap – 7/10 – Helped Walker-Peters out against Martinelli at times but spent plenty of time stifling Jesus. Did well to lose his man and create the third goal.

LB: Romain Perraud – 5/10 – Didn’t enjoy his battle up against Saka at all.

RM: Mohamed Elyounoussi – 7/10 – Outstanding work rate to press Arsenal’s defence and help out against the tricky wingers.

CM: James Ward-Prowse – 7/10 – Didn’t get to flex his playmaking skills as he was busy working on the defensive end, but needed just one corner to get the job done.

CM: Romeo Lavia – 7/10 – Effortlessly classy as he neutralised Arsenal’s threat and quickly got things going for his side.

LM: Adam Armstrong – 4/10 – Offered very little in attack and didn’t make up for it in defence. Hung Perraud out to dry against Martinelli.

ST: Theo Walcott – 7/10 – A smart finish against his former side. Incredibly disciplined in the first-half press.

ST: Carlos Alcaraz – 8/10 – Scored one, assisted one and cleared one off the line in a performance which, surprisingly, only lasted 45 minutes.


Substitutes

Duje Caleta-Car (41′ for Bednarek) – 7/10

Lyanco (46′ for Alcaraz) – 6/10

Kamaldeen Sulemana (77′ for Walcott) – 5/10

Paul Onuachu (77′ for Armstrong) – 5/10

Ibrahima Diallo (86′ for Lavia) – N/A


Manager

Ruben Selles – 6/10 – A lightning fast start from Southampton which ultimately set the tone for this game, but questions will be asked of the decision to withdraw Alcaraz at half-time. Was berating the Argentine for most of the first half and appeared to take an enormous gamble by taking him off.


Player of the match – Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

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