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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ended his five-match goal drought to help 10-man Arsenal avoid a record fifth consecutive home league loss in a 1-1 draw with high-flying Southampton.<\/p>\nPierre-Emerick Aubameyang ended his five-match goal drought to help 10-man Arsenal avoid a record fifth consecutive home league loss in a 1-1 draw with high-flying Southampton.<\/p>\n
Captain Aubameyang started the process of atoning for his own goal in Sunday\u2019s miserable 1-0 home loss to Burnley, sweeping in a neat finish as Arsenal scrambled a Premier League point at the Emirates Stadium.<\/p>\n
Former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott had put the again-impressive Southampton into an early lead with a high-quality effort.<\/p>\n
The Gunners had Gabriel sent off for two bookings in four minutes \u2013 the first a pointless act of petulance in kicking away the ball.<\/p>\n
After Granit Xhaka\u2019s ill-disciplined dismissal in Sunday\u2019s Burnley loss, another red card was the last of boss Mikel Arteta\u2019s demands.<\/p>\n
A draw will hardly ease the pressure on manager Arteta however, with Arsenal\u2019s winless league run now stretching to six matches.<\/p>\n
Arteta had told his critics \u201cmy chest is here, hit me\u201d in accepting Arsenal must \u201ctake the bullets\u201d in the wake of their awful form.<\/p>\n
And those biting volleys will keep on coming now, with Arsenal still winless in the league since their 1-0 victory at Manchester United on November 1.<\/p>\n
Southampton managed to keep themselves in the league\u2019s top four however, with any frustrations over a draw just another sign of the burgeoning confidence under boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.<\/p>\n
Arsenal pressed with purpose and energy from the off, but were never able to generate any real rhythm on the ball.<\/p>\n
Home heads dropped heavily then when former Gunners favorite Walcott raced through and chipped home a delicate finish to put Saints into the deserved lead.<\/p>\n
Che Adams battled for the ball on halfway and slid in for a fine through-ball, that positively begged for Walcott to convert.<\/p>\n
The ex-Arsenal forward licked his lips, raced onto the ball and dinked over the helpless Leno.<\/p>\n
Then, for good measure, Walcott wheeled away and broke with player tradition \u2013 to celebrate against his old club.<\/p>\n
The Saints winger cantered off in delight before being mobbed by his impressed team-mates.<\/p>\n
Walcott\u2019s upbeat response was doubtless more to do with his sheer joy and relief to be on a run of fitness and form than any lingering frustrations at his Arsenal exit, back in 2018.<\/p>\n
The Gunners appeared wholly flummoxed by slipping behind, to compound their worrying recent run of form.<\/p>\n
Nicolas Pepe saw a rasping shot well blocked by Jan Bednarek, before Dani Ceballos had a spurious penalty claim dismissed by the officials.<\/p>\n
Bednarek deflected Saka\u2019s low cross goalwards as Arsenal found a foothold, but Alex McCarthy conjured a fine reaction stop.<\/p>\n
Arsenal\u2019s plight appeared bleak when trailing 1-0 at the break, but the home side came out refreshed and refocused \u2013 and quickly levelled.<\/p>\n
Saka cut in off the left and fed Eddie Nketiah and it was his fine reverse pass that opened the Saints defense.<\/p>\n
As the ball angled into the box, Aubameyang latched on, picked his spot and delivered.<\/p>\n
After his own goal against Burnley, here was the perfect response.<\/p>\n
Just when Arsenal thought they could plot a course for victory however, Gabriel felled Walcott for a second yellow card, to walk for his troubles.<\/p>\n
Just four minutes after kicking the ball away in a pointless act of petulance, here was another Arsenal red card that was both utterly avoidable and entirely unwanted.<\/p>\n
Arsenal brought on David Luiz for Nketiah and promptly sat back in a bid to protect their point.<\/p>\n
Saints went on the attack and replacement Nathan Redmond struck the bar with a first-time effort, having just reached Oriol Romeu\u2019s teasing ball.<\/p>\n
Redmond whipped just wide after another threatening Saints attack, before Moussa Djenepo had a tenuous penalty claim ignored.<\/p>\n
Arsenal could have snatched victory at the death, but Rob Holding\u2019s thumping header clattered the woodwork and bounced safe.<\/p>\n