LONDON (REUTERS) – Arsenal weathered storms on and off the pitch earlier than coasting to a 3-0 Premier League win over Southampton on Saturday (Dec 11) as boss Mikel Arteta dropped captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from the match-day squad for disciplinary causes.
Earlier than kickoff, Arteta was tight-lipped as he defined that Aubameyang’s absence was attributable to a “disciplinary breach”, with Alexandre Lacazette beginning on his personal up entrance.
Southampton had the higher of the opening exchanges on a wet afternoon with Adam Armstrong forcing an early nook and a advantageous save from Aaron Ramsdale because the Gunners struggled to take care of the guests’ excessive press.
They managed to interrupt thorough it within the twenty first minute with a sweeping transfer, attacking down the left the place Bukayo Saka squared to Lacazette, who fired dwelling.
“It was an excellent objective, performed out from the again, we have been practising this motion; it is good to see that it performed out properly. We practise this stuff every single day in coaching,” playmaker Martin Odegaard advised the BBC.
The Gunners went two up six minutes later when Southampton’s slack defending was punished by Odegaard as Kieran Tierney’s tried cross bounced again to him and he headed the ball again throughout the objective for the Norwegian to nod it dwelling.
The objective was Odegaard’s third in three Premier League video games, and his angled passes tormented the Southampton defence all afternoon.
The second objective appeared to take the wind from Southampton’s sails as their defensive depth light and Arsenal defender Gabriel thought he had scored a 3rd objective on the hour mark, solely to see it chalked off for offside.
He popped up once more a couple of minutes later and this time he made no mistake, heading dwelling a nook to make it 3-0.
Southampton’s process was not helped by the withdrawal of Armstrong and strike accomplice Armando Broja attributable to harm, they usually struggled to create first rate attacking alternatives within the second half.
The victory leaves Arsenal fifth on 26 factors, whereas Southampton are sixteenth on 16 factors, and Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuettl won’t have a lot time to rally his injury-hit squad.
“We now have a giant squad but it surely’s getting thinner. That is one thing we should have a look at – the season is hard and now comes the extraordinary time,” he advised the BBC.
“We now have to step up once more. We play on Wednesday in opposition to Crystal Palace. We now have to point out a greater efficiency.”