Arsenal 2 Southampton 1: Late Santi Cazorla penalty seals comeback win for Arsene Wenger's Gunners

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James Olley10 September 2016

Santi Cazorla scored a controversial 94th-minute penalty to give Arsenal a 2-1 win over Southampton at Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners had to come from behind after Dusan Tadic’s 18th-minute free-kick rebounded off goalkeeper Petr Cech and into his own net.

Laurent Koscielny equalised 11 minutes later but just as it appeared a laboured display from the hosts would end with a disappointing draw, referee Bobby Madley adjudged Jose Fonte to have pulled substitute Olivier Giroud back in the box, giving Cazorla the chance to smash home a last-gasp winner.

There was definite contact between Fonte and Giroud but the decision incensed Southampton manager Claude Puel and his players, with the situation further complicated by Koscielny lying strewn in the goalmouth having taken a kick to the face moments earlier.

However, Arsenal secured an important victory which took them up to fifth place in an embryonic Premier League table ahead of Liverpool’s evening kick-off against champions Leicester City.

Wenger sprang a surprise with his starting line-up, choosing to hand debuts to new signings Lucas Perez and Skhodran Mustafi, while Granit Xhaka, Giroud and Alexis Sanchez were left on the bench after their exertions on international duty.

Arsenal looked disjointed from the outset as Southampton dictated the opening exchanges without creating a meaningful opportunity until Nathan Redmond was fouled on the edge of the box by Nacho Monreal in the 18th minute.

Tadic stood over the free-kick in a central position 20 yards out and lifted an effort over the wall which Cech did brilliantly to tip onto the crossbar. He was therefore especially unfortunate when the ball rebounded off his back and into the net.

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Theo Walcott headed Cazorla’s 25th minute corner over the bar before the Spaniard was booked for dissent as agitation began to spread across Emirates Stadium. The home fans were soon appeased.

Virgil van Dijk hacked a dangerous Monreal cross behind for a corner which Cazorla took and Southampton failed to clear. Perez kept the ball alive in the box and it sat up for Koscielny to finish acrobatically past Fraser Forster to put the home side back on level terms.

Arsenal pushed to find another before the break but Southampton stood firm – in relative comfort – and emerged for the second period with Shane Long spearheading their attack at the expense of Jay Rodriguez.

Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster was booked for timewasting nine minutes into the second half as Arsenal began to gradually move through the gears.

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Hector Bellerin smashed a shot from a tight angle just inside the box inches wide of Forster’s right-hand post, just before Wenger made a double substitution introducing Giroud and Sanchez for Perez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Perez was starved of decent service for long periods but worked hard throughout and that endeavour was noted by a generous round of applause from Arsenal supporters for their new £17million striker.

Southampton were a threat on the counter-attack however, chiefly through the pace of Redmond and Long and they nearly struck against the run of play with 24 minutes left. Tadic found Long, who barged Koscielny off the ball to play a return pass. Tadic slipped Long in behind Arsenal’s defence with just Cech to beat and although he dinked an effort over the onrushing goalkeeper, it drifted well wide.

Sanchez fired a vicious 16-yard strike just over with Forster at full stretch before Jose Fonte headed off target at the other end as both sides looked capable of scoring a second. Wenger sent on Alex Iwobi for Walcott in his final change but it was Santi Cazorla who nearly made the decisive contribution, sidefooting Sanchez’s incisive pass towards goal but his effort was blocked by Van Dijk and the loose ball just evaded Giroud’s reach.

Iwobi then fed Monreal in space on the edge of the box but his low strike was deflected just wide by Cedric. Cech was called into action at the other end, diving to his right to repel substitute Pierre-Emile Hojberg’s shot from the edge of the box and then springing back to his feet to turn Long’s tame rebound effort behind for a corner.

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Arsenal continued to probe - without their usual fluency or intensity – but were still able to create half chances. Giroud headed Cazorla’s cross into the sidenetting, triggering the beginning of an exodus from the home stands with five minutes remaining,

But those who left missed a dramatic denouement as Cazorla struck at the death to send the rest home happy.

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