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Arsenal dropped five points behind leaders Leicester in the Premier League with a goalless draw against Southampton.
Arsene Wenger's side found Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster on top form at the Emirates Stadium and the result means the north London side have now taken just three points from a possible 12.
Southampton were the better team at the start and Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech had to tip James Ward-Prowse's free kick round the post.
Mesut Ozil missed a good chance for Arsenal when his close-range effort was pushed wide by Forster.
Forster also tipped Olivier Giroud's shot away before thwarting Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez.
Laurent Koscielny should have put the Gunners ahead after 70 minutes when Ozil found him in front of goal with Forster off his line but he headed over.
So who was to blame for Arsenal's failure to beat Southampton? We take a look at how the home side performed at the Emirates...
Show all 12 1 /12Arsenal player ratings vs Southampton Arsenal player ratings vs Southampton Cech: 6 out of 10 Will doubtless be overshadowed by excellence from Fraser Forster but as per usual Cech never put a foot wrong and was always live to Southampton’s attempts to get in behind his defenders.
Arsenal player ratings vs Southampton Bellerin: 5 out of 10 A rare loose display from the full-back, who was one of several to give the ball away far too often. His crossing was as good as ever but too often Long and Mane were able to exploit the space he left.
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Arsenal player ratings vs Southampton Gabriel: 5 out of 10 There were good reasons for dropping Per Mertesacker, who is looking more cumbersome by the week, but this was not a match where Gabriel fully convinced in his stead. Was very lucky to not give away a penalty in the second half when only Mane’s refusal to go down saved him.
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Arsenal player ratings vs Southampton Koscielny: 6 out of 10 A key figure in a misfiring second half, on more than one occasion sweeping in behind to stop the dangerous Long and Mane sweeping in behind. However how he missed an unmarked header from six yards out only he will know.
Arsenal player ratings vs Southampton Monreal: 6 out of 10 In the mistake-filled morass of the first half Monreal stood out by rarely putting a foot wrong. He sat much deeper than he has in past games but it was notable that Southampton had little joy down the right.
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Arsenal player ratings vs Southampton Flamini: 5 out of 10 Simply lacks the legs to cut it alongside Ramsey in the middle of the park. He was unable to cover the ground required as his colleague pressed forward, allowing Southampton to pick the Gunners apart on the counter. Increasingly, and justifiably, lost his rag with Ramsey as he failed to track back with any urgency.
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Arsenal player ratings vs Southampton Ramsey: 4 out of 10 Santi Cazorla dictates play for Arsenal in the deep-lying playmaking role, and so did Ramsey. Hence with so many passes flying wide of the mark and straight into touch the Gunners’ first-half was utterly atrocious. The second half saw him more often than not alongside Giroud but he had even less impact there.
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Arsenal player ratings vs Southampton Campbell: 5 out of 10 Once more the work-rate was present and correct but the quality was lacking. First the ambitious passes stopped paying off, then the basic ones. He would track back and look to recover his mistakes but more often than not that would lead to a free-kick.
Arsenal player ratings vs Southampton (Sub) Walcott: 5 out of 10 Barring a double chance spurned seconds after coming on Walcott offered little to Arsenal’s attempts to break Southampton down and was once more notable by his absence.
2016 The Arsenal Football Club Plc
Arsenal player ratings vs Southampton Ozil: 5 out of 10 Muscularly dealt with by Victor Wanyama and Oriol Romeu, but his influence grew as the match wore on. He may not have been able to take the first-chance opportunities but that was more down to the luck and excellence of Forster than anything else.
Arsenal player ratings vs Southampton Sanchez: 7 out of 10 About the only Arsenal player in the opening period who looked like crafting a chance or even correctly placing a pass, as in his beautiful delivery to Ozil. But his own superiority was soon to be his downfall as he hubristically took the burden of the whole team’s output on his shoulders.
Arsenal player ratings vs Southampton Giroud: 5 out of 10 Is it fair to criticise him for constantly dropping deep into midfield in a bid to create something. Probably not, such was the dominance of Virgil van Dijk and Jose Fonte in the air. A frustrating night was defined in opposition to the excellence of Forster, who on several occasions kept out several efforts that seemed destined for goal.
Do you agree with our ratings? Who was your man of the match? Let us know in the comments below.
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