EPL 2016/17, Southampton 0-2 Arsenal: 5 Talking Points
A 2-0 victory over Southampton on Wednesday night moved Arsenal to within three points of the top four. Goals from Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud ultimately made the difference at St Mary's, as Arsene Wenger’s men boosted their chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
Arsenal climbed to the fifth spot in the table with this pivotal triumph, while Southampton remain 10th as they battle for a top-half finish. Here are five talking points from the game.
#1 Sanchez steps up when his team need him the most
Sanchez has had a difficult few months, with his form tailing off and talk about his future intensifying. A move back out wide did not appear to help matters as the Chile international had thrived up front earlier in the campaign. Danny Welbeck has been named as the centre-forward more often in 2017 and he has done a good enough job.
Sanchez showed his brilliance in the last game, though; there had been very few instances of quality in the game before his goal in the 60th minute.
The former Barcelona man collected a pass from Mesut Ozil, tricked his way past two Southampton defenders and fired the ball into the back of the net. It was a moment of magic from a player who has been below his best in recent times, and another reminder of Sanchez’s enduring quality.
The Chilean was otherwise quiet for most of the night, but he was the man who was responsible for the key moment in the game by opening the scoring shortly after the hour.