Arsenal vs Southampton match report: Santi Cazorla pounces from penalty spot late to save Arsene Wenger's blushes

Arsenal 2 Southampton 1: The Gunners prevailed with seconds to spare after an hour of the sort of huffing and puffing which has a become common feature

Cazorla celebrates his late winner with team-mate Giroud (Getty)

The cheapest season ticket at the Emirates will set you back £1,014. Yet watching Arsenal on their own patch remains one of the most peculiar and, on occasion, excruciating ways to spend an afternoon in the capital. For all the guile and verve of Arsene Wenger's team down the years, few generations have frustrated more than the class of 2016.

They prevailed with seconds to spare against Southampton after an hour of the sort of huffing and puffing which has a become common place in these parts lately. Arsenal dominated the possession stats, dictated the tempo and should have won by a more comfortable scoreline but so nearly added two more points to the five they had already dropped before the international break.

Petr Cech's unfortunate own goal, from Dusan Tadic's free-kick after 18 minutes, was one of those moments that nobody can legislate for. But the hosts' failure to add upon Laurent Koscielny equaliser, a super bicycle-kick on the half-hour, until the death was indicative of this Arsenal side's recent strife. Santi Cazorla's emphatic penalty settled matters but merely delays the post-mortem until a later date.

Koscielny was celebrating his 31st but new signing and fellow birthday boy Lucas Perez, the 28-year-old forward signed from Deportivo La Coruña, couldn't follow suit as Wenger's side were stymied by their resolute guests. The match itself had been preceded by an inspection of Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's progress since both joined from the St Mary's academy system.

The visitors took an early lead when Cech deflected into his own goal (Getty)

Neither, in truth, have fulfilled their potential in north London and have instead been limited to fleeting bursts rather than prolonged stretches of success. Despite obvious endeavour and spirit on their part, it was much the same this weekend against their former employers.

Under Wenger, Arsenal have often clung upon the same romantic ideals but the execution naturally varies from one season to the next. This current crop have pace in abundance but their football often becomes bogged against opposition who come with a stratagem to deny them until the last.

Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain were procured five years apart, in 2006 and 2011, to execute a pincer-like offensive on either flank to knock down such blockades. For all of the Gunners' early industry in the final third, their defensive frailties remained, despite the £35m acquisition of Shkodran Mustafi from Valencia.

Nacho Monreal was the first to flinch, after 16 minutes, after he felled the menacing Nathan Redmond on the perimeter of the penalty area. Tadic, the visitors' tormentor in chief, stepped up from 19 yards. Forcing Cech into a fingertip save on to the crossbar; neither he nor the Czech goalkeeper would have expected the ball to ricochet off Cech's back and bobble into the empty net. The blanket Wenger had adorned for the opening stages was hastily discarded.

The atmosphere, meanwhile, was beginning to sour, as it often does when luck is against the Frenchman's team, with both Monreal and Cazorla earning early booking for their troubles.

Koscielny's acrobatic finish put Arsenal back on level terms (Getty)

Arsenal probed their guests without landing any significant blows - until Monreal forced Virgil van Dijk into an 11th hour intervention to clear for a corner. Cazorla floated it in from the left, Francis Coquelin cushioned it to Lucas before Koscielny then catapulted himself into the air to mark his special day with a belting finish past Fraser Forster.

Hector Bellerin smashed an effort across goal on the hour-mark. Moments later, substitute Shane Long almost made him pay when a cheeky flick by Tadic dumbfounded the Arsenal backline and found the Irishman in space. Galloping down on Cech's goal, Long's attempt to chip the former Chelsea goalkeeper was mis-hit, however, and prompted him to kick out at the advertisement hoardings.

The Gunners gathered their thoughts and lodged another attack on the opposite goal with 20 minutes to go. Alexis Sanchez, on for Oxlade-Chamberlain, ghosted into an unreserved pocket of room but the Chilean, rested until the 62nd minute, could not avoid a rush of blood, firing over from 11 yards out. Their next opportunity to snatch the points came with 13 minutes remaining when Sanchez marauded through the midfield to play in Cazorla on the right. The Spaniard cut it across to Olivier Giroud but the striker, already on the tumble when the ball was played, could only knock it wide.

Next it was Southampton's turn. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerb's shot was parried by Cech into Long's path but the ex-Hull City forward's follow-up was easily gathered. It took until four minutes into stoppage time for the Arsenal onslaught to reap its due rewards. Jose Fonte bundled Giroud in the area, affording Cazorla with the perfect opportunity to reach the light at the end of the tunnel. It wasn't pretty but it rarely is this these days.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Cech; Bellerin, Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal; Cazorla, Coquelin; Walcott (Iwobi 75'), Ozil, Oxlade-Chamberlain (Sanchez 62'); Lucas (Giroud 62').

Subs not used: Opsina, Holding, Elneny, Xhaka.

Southampton (4-3-3): Forster; Cedric, Van Dijk, Fonte, Bertrand; Clasie (Hojbjerg 65'), Davis, Romeu; Tadic (Ward-Prowse 80'), Redmond, Rodriguez (Long 45').

Subs not used: McCarthy, Yoshida, Austin, Targett.

Referee: Robert Madley

Attendance: 59,962

Rating: 6/10