FA Cup 2016/17: Southampton 0-5 Arsenal, 5 Talking Points
Arsenal progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a comfortable win over Southampton on Saturday. With Arsene Wenger watching from the stands, the Gunners cruised through a game they were in complete control of from start to finish.
An inexperienced Southampton side managed to gather none of the plucky courage that they displayed against Liverpool in their League Cup tie, with erroneous defending giving the impetus away early – something the visitors gladly took advantage of.
Here are 5 talking points from the game:
#5 Ten changes made to the team sheet by each side
With Arsene Wenger and Claude Puel both putting out second string sides, Twitter lit up with jokes at the fading “magic of the cup”. No doubt both managers had an eye on the upcoming mid-week fixtures in the Premier League, but ringing in a full set of changes saw both sides mocked for setting up a contest to see who cared less about the competition.
Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – both formerly of Southampton – started against their former club at Saint Mary’s Stadium with Danny Welbeck continuing his return from injury with his first start of the season.
Shane Long was rewarded for his excellent solo strike against Liverpool in the League Cup with a start as the focal point of attack for the Saints.
Of course, the gamble worked out much better for one Frenchman than the other.