Arsenal beat Southampton dryly (4-0), fails to take first place – The Équipe.fr

The match has struggled to find his rhythm at St Mary’s Stadium. Perhaps, for the Gunners, due to the pressure of the issue since they knew that Leicester had lost earlier in Liverpool (1-0) and a win here would propel them into the Championship lead for the first time of the season – after Manchester City, Manchester United and then Leicester. It was confirmed in the minutes that Arsenal, a series of three wins in the Premier League in December, was not in his best night: too little fluidity and impact in the tackle for the Saints do not take advantage (4-0)

Just having procured the first opportunity. – a Monreal strike on a ball to Özil relayed by Giroud (18th) – Arsène Wenger conceded a goal just beautiful: on a bad reference from the londonnienne defense, solid shaft but at almost 30 meters anyway, the Dutch side of the Saints, Rhu-endly Martina, unleashed a shot from outside the right foot which deliciously curved path Petr Cech beat despite the hopeless horizontal Czech goalkeeper (19th).

Walcott (header from a corner, 39th), Giroud (duel with Stekelenburg, 41th) were well planted banderillas late in the first period but Shane Long, offset by the excellent Mané, who was close to break of the goal, Cech was very happy to see his lob missed the Irishman (43rd). After the break a goal and refused to van Dijk for a very limited set off a free kick (50th), the same two went after an attack to push against Arsenal Password Mane Long concluding, probably guilty of a prior foul on Koscielny, one of three Frenchies holders with Flamini and Giroud (2-0, 55th).

Committed in a very delicate chase, Arsenal pushed without conviction and ended up drinking the cup to the dregs: José Fonte killed any suspense with a helmet onto a corner which Cech has not set fists (3-0, 69th). The evening, which could be triumphant, ended on an ugly conclusion: after its worst defeat of the season (Long scored a fourth goal in stoppage time, doubled for him), Arsenal still second, two points of Leicester and Arsene Wenger, who had lost only one match in the Boxing Day (against Coventry in 1999), suffered his second defeat an English Boxing Day.

Until the match against Arsenal he had never been tenured in the Premier League. For its first presence in the starting lineup of Ronald Koeman, the Dutch side (26), arrived this summer from Twente, agreed with his coach and compatriot placing Southampton on track to victory. “When Roberto Carlos,” his gem from the outside, on a ball returned by Per Mertesacker, perhaps only his fifth career goal but what a gesture, the most beautiful of the Boxing Day!