We headed into the international break with our fourth-straight victory by beating Southampton 3-1 at Emirates Stadium, despite initially trailing early in the second half.
But why did we turn the game on its head and secure the three points that leaves us just one behind league leaders Liverpool? Adrian Clake delves through the stats and footage to unearth the key reasons behind our latest win:
A classic formation
Many of our early Premier League victories back in the 1990s came when using a 4-4-2, and we marked our 400th home win in the competition with that very same shape. This was unusual because Mikel Arteta has rarely deviated from a 4-3-3, but Martin Odegaard’s absence has forced a tactical rethink.
Leandro Trossard’s support striker role turns our system into more of a 4-4-1-1, but with Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz both stationed up top, this was a throwback 4-4-2:
Arsenal's average positions and passing lines
In the other eye-catching change, Thomas Partey looked comfortable at right back, fizzing 7 and 14 passes into the feet of in-form Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka respectively. Partey’s defensive work was also solid, winning all four tackles he attempted, six of eight duels, as well as making two interceptions inside the opposition half.
Another Saka masterclass
Saints head coach Russell Martin named two left-backs in his starting XI, presumably to limit Saka’s influence, but that ploy failed miserably as the winger registered a goal and two assists.
Unsurprisingly, our brilliant No. 7 was not fazed by the presence of double markers, enjoying an impressive 71 touches, the third-highest of any Arsenal player. Often the closest central midfielder on that side would also come across to crowd Saka’s space, forcing him to deal with regular 1 v 3s:
Saka’s sensational cross for Gabriel Martinelli’s crucial goal to make it 2-1 came after he overpowered Ryan Manning and Kyle Walker-Peters with a sprint infield. Unable to keep pace, the double markers were powerless to stop him from whipping in the cross of the game:
Saka’s numbers for 2024/25 are outstanding. He has created four more chances (27) than the next closest Premier League player, and four more big chances (12) than anyone else too, and has seven assists so far. Against Southampton Saka had seven shots and made seven key passes, but tellingly, he also regained possession the most times too, with an impressive eight ball recoveries. Our player of the match was tireless, and in mesmerising form.
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Shots | 7 |
| Chances created | 7 |
| Touches in opp box | 15 |
| Possession won | 8 |
Martin’s use of twin markers didn’t exclusively belong to Saka either. From corner kicks the Saints also had two men chaperoning Gabriel Maghalaes on the penalty spot!
Turnovers take centre stage
This was a clash between two of the division’s most comfortable sides in possession, yet it was moments where either side lost the ball that felt most decisive.
One of our best first-half chances stemmed from an excellent interception made by Raheem Sterling from an Aaron Ramsdale pass into midfield. His one-two with Jesus put him clear before our loanee lost his balance inside the box.
And as a contest, this match had lift-off after the Saints made good use of a key turnover. Matheus Fernandes’ 50-50 with Sterling could have been pulled up for a foul, but the referee waved play on. Fernandes' early run and accurate pass put us in trouble, and Cameron Archer to his credit did brilliantly to curl a low shot into the far corner.
Our much-needed equalising goal just three minutes later also came from a turnover – this time sparked by Saka’s interception from a Flynn Downes pass. He put Havertz clear with an early ball, and the German delivered a crisp left-foot finish.
This was a rare moment that caught the visitors light on numbers at the back, and we punished it superbly.
timely triple change
While most of us were celebrating that Havertz leveller, the manager was busy making three key substitutions: introducing Trossard, Martinelli and Mikel Merino. The timing was perfect, and as a collective this trio had a major uplifting impact, bringing energy and dynamism to the side at a timely moment.
All three made around 3.6 intensive runs per minute, eclipsing the rate of our leading starter in that department, Havertz on 2.9. The lively Martinelli made 14 sprints (2nd overall) and 16 off-the-ball runs (joint 3rd) in his 39-minute cameo.
Trossard made the same number of runs into the box (7) as Gabriel Jesus, the man he replaced, and the Belgian’s 18 pressures ranked him joint second overall with the Brazilian. The match did open up after they had entered the fray, but there is no doubt all three brought valuable energy to the side at an important juncture.
History-marker Havertz
With his equaliser, Havertz became the first Arsenal player to score in seven consecutive home appearances in all competitions since Robin van Persie in March 2012. The German was in fabulous form yet again, knitting moves together neatly, as well as firing off seven shots.
We saw moments of class on the ball, but it was his battling qualities which really came to the fore. Deep into added time, he fought off two or three aggressive challenges to keep the ball for his side, typifying his determination on the day.
It shouldn’t be forgotten that Saka’s goal to seal the three points late on, stemmed from Havertz toeing a pass to Trossard while being stuck battling in a duel on the turf:
Contributing greatly in and out of possession, it is easy to see why the manager has kept our number 29 on the pitch for all 630 minutes of the Premier League season so far.
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