A late Alexis Sanchez goal ensured that Arsenal took all three points from their Premier League meeting with Southampton this evening in a 1-0 win.
For so long the game looked to be heading for a goalless draw, with Saints stopper Fraser Forster producing a string of high-quality saves to earn what looked to be another big point for his side.
Chile international Alexis was on hand to tap in with just a minute remaining at the Emirates Stadium, however, to salvage a third victory in seven days for the Gunners.
You can relive Sports Mole's live text coverage of the action below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Arsenal and Southampton at the Emirates Stadium.
The Saints may have gone two games without a win coming into this one, although they still find themselves six points ahead of their opponents this evening in the table. That says just as much about Arsenal's start to the season as it does Southampton's, with three points tonight a must if the Gunners are to make up the gap on the current top four.
There's plenty to get through between now and kickoff at 7.45pm, so let's get straight into things by taking a look at how both sides line up...
TEAM NEWS!
ARSENAL STARTING XI: Martinez, Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Flamini, Ramsey, Cazorla, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alexis, Welbeck
SOUTHAMPTON STARTING XI: Forster, Clyne, Fonte, Alderweireld, Bertrand, Wanyama, Cork, S. Davis, Tadic, Long, Pelle
Let's start by taking a look at the visiting side, who introduce Jack Cork and Shane Long back into the side for this one. Long was a substitute last time out against Manchester City, although manager Ronald Koeman has opted to change things up slightly, while Cork's return is timely with the absence of Morgan Schneiderlin.
The backline, which boasts the best defensive record in the division thus far despite that 3-0 defeat at the hands of Man City, remains in tact this evening, yet Southampton will no doubt miss Schneiderlin's power in front of the defensive unit. That said, Cork, Steven Davis and Victor Wanyama provide a more than adequate midfield trio to give Arsenal a solid test tonight.
There's just the one change for Arsenal, meanwhile, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replacing Olivier Giroud who is still finding his way back to full fitness. Leading the line for the Gunners is Danny Welbeck, who will be joined up top by in-form Chile international Alexis Sanchez.
Laurent Koscielny's return to the heart of defence last time out gave the Gunners far more resolve about them at the back, and they will have to be on guard this evening due to the absence of Wojciech Szcsesny who is still on the sidelines nursing an injury. Nacho Monreal was a doubt coming into this one, but he is deemed fit enough to start, which is a huge relief for Arsene Wenger with Kieran Gibbs not fully fit.
Well a lot has been made with regards to Arsenal's slow start to the campaign, although victory this evening and they will be well on track to finish in the top four once more. Yet therein lies the problem, because the real target for the Gunners must surely be to not only compete for the Premier League title year-in year-out, but also sustain that challenge right until the end. Having made their worst ever start to a league campaign under Wenger, any hopes of finishing top are already over before we even enter the festive fixtures.
European football has offered Wenger a welcome respite this campaign, with qualification for the knockout stages secure yet again with a game to spare, although even then they haven't exactly been at their flowing best as of yet. Victory over West Bromwich Albion on the weekend saw the Gunners move up to seventh place in the table, but if they are to build some much-needed momentum ahead of the festive period then three points must be claimed here tonight.
While Arsenal have made their worst start to a campaign in recent memory, it has been the complete opposite case down at St Mary's. Ronald Koeman was expected to take over a depleted side fighting to remain in the division, although as we now know that turned out to be far from the case. Every matchday the Saints have been written off by many, although only on a handful of occasions have they failed to get the job done this season.
True, they suffered a fairly heavy defeat at the hands of the champions on the weekend, but it must be remembered that the South-Coast outfit are still third in the table as we edge close to the New Year. Should the Saints finish in a European spot, then they will have to improve on their record against the perceived 'big clubs' in the division - and where better place to start than the Emirates Stadium?
One of the keys to their success so far has been their incredible defensive record which remains the best in the top-flight despite those three goals shipped last time out. Just nine goals have been conceded all campaign by Koeman's charges, who also boast a league-high seven clean sheets to their name. Make no mistake about it - Southampton's current position is no fluke.
BENCH WATCH!
ARSENAL SUBSTITUTES: Macey, Gibbs, Bellerin, Rosicky, Podolski, Sanogo, Giroud
SOUTHAMPTON SUBSTITUTES: K. Davis, Yoshida, Gardos, Mane, Mayuka, Reed, Targett
Time for a quick look at the two benches then, and as already mentioned Giroud has to make do with a spot among the backups having only recently recovered from a fairly lengthy lay-off. Arsenal also have Lukas Podolski among their subs unsurprisingly, while Yaya Sanogo will be eager to get on the field fresh on the back of his first goal for the club this time last week.
It wouldn't be too disrespectful to suggest that the visiting side's substitutes are not quite of the same calibre of Arsenal's, but Sadio Mane packs a real punch and knows how to find the net, while youngsters Matt Targett and Harrison Reed will be eager to impress should they be called upon.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS: In terms of past meetings in the Premier League, Arsenal hold the advantage having never lost on home soil against the Saints in this competition. They are also unbeaten in nine league games overall against the Saints, although the sides met earlier this season in the League Cup with Koeman's men prevailing on that occasion. It goes to show that past records count for very little.
DID YOU KNOW? Sticking with Arsenal's home form, the Gunners have trailed in five of their last six league games at the Emirates Stadium which is a worrying trend that Arsene Wenger will be hoping to end sooner rather than later. Furthermore, the North London outfit have won just two of their six home league games this campaign - it's clear to see just why they are down in seventh place.
Kickoff is now a little over 15 minutes away, meaning that there is still time to check out what both managers have had to say coming into this one.
Ronald Koeman speaking to BT Sport: "We know the qualities of Arsenal. They always start on a high tempo. We know as well that when we have the ball we will have space and chances.
"The level of our possession has to be higher. If we will have a good result today then our quality will have to be much better than Sunday."
Meanwhile, Wenger has instilled some fighting belief into his side, saying: "We have not started very well but we had never the squad together since the start of the season. It was a post-World Cup start typically. I think we have what is requested to do it [win the league].
"We have to fight like mad now to come back as much as possible to show that we can compete in every single game. We have fought many times for the title. People always remember who won it but the fight has been very tight for long periods in the last eight or nine years. we have a big competition in England, we have to accept that.
"The Premier League level goes always up and this season Chelsea has started very well. They will be difficult to catch but everybody will fight to come back on them. Before Christmas, what you want always to do is to make sure you are in the pot for the Champions League and that you fight at the top of the league. At the moment we have achieved the first target but not the second one so we have a battle in front of us to come back in there."
What makes this slow start even harder to take for Arsenal supporters is the fact that this time 12 months ago their side were flying high in the Premier League. In fact, a year ago to the day the Gunners were 11 points better off than they are right now, which says a lot about their start this time around.
Arsenal have relief heavily on Alexis over the past few months, although Welbeck's winning goal against West Brom on Saturday will do his confidence the world of good. He had gone six games without scoring prior to that, but he will no doubt be eager to add to his tally this evening.
It's been a similar story for Graziano Pelle in recent weeks, with the striker going five games without finding the net. It's not time to start worrying yet, particularly when he has six goals already this season, but he will need to find his scoring boots soon if Southampton are to avoid sliding down the table.
There's still time to point you in the direction of Sports Mole's preview of this evening's Premier League clash, which is now around five minutes away.
PREDICTION: As ever I'm expecting this to be a tightly-fought contest, although Arsenal should have a little too much for their opponents in the end. Southampton have lost just three times this season, but each of those defeats came against sides who finished inside the top six last season. That run will continue tonight in a 2-0 reverse.
Incidentally, updates from all the night's other Premier League fixtures will be provided throughout the course of the evening, with Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton all in action. Meanwhile at the Emirates Stadium, the two teams are out on the field and the pre-match handshakes are over and done with. Kickoff is around a minute or so away.
KICKOFF! Andre Marriner gets us underway in North London. This one has been nicely set up, with many questions needing to be answered across the 90 minutes.
A slow, gentle start to the contest with both sides just weighing each other up. Oxlade-Chamberlain has just gone on a positive run forward, but he lost control of the ball when charging into a central position and was unable to get a shot away.
Somewhat worryingly for Arsenal, Monreal is heavily limping along at the moment. Both he and Gibbs were doubts coming into this one, and a change may need to be made early on. Southampton just knocking the ball around at the moment.
Ramsey picks out Chambers on the right, but the full-back is unable to pick out a teammate with a cross against his former side. It's Arsenal who are back in control of possession, although rather interestingly the Gunners sat back a little when their opponents were on the ball.
CHANCE! The first opening of the game falls the way of the home side, and Danny Welbeck in particular. A nice ball through the middle from Cazorla saw the Englishman race through on goal, but the angle was always against him and in the end he could not even find the target with Forster quick off his line to add further pressure.
Alexis was hoping to loft the ball over Forster from inside his own half a few moments ago, which tells you all you need to know about the confidence the Chilean has right now, but his shot was pounced on.
The first contentious decision of the game sees Ramsey catch Cork rather late, with referee Marriner opting to play advantage. There was barely any sort of advantage, though, which left the Saints somewhat unhappy. More concerning is the fact that Cork, who has just returned from injury, is still down on the field.
CHANCE! A brilliant chance comes and goes for Southampton, who would have scored one of the goals of the season had this hit the net. A fine one-two with Davis on the edge of the box sees the striker in on goal, but he hammered the ball over the crossbar. I did mention he's somewhat out of form at the moment, which was telling with that effort.
Southampton are playing with real confidence at the moment, which culminated in that chance a few minutes ago, while Arsenal themselves look fairly lively. Alexis appear to be the one man on the field who can make something happen at this stage, but the Saints have not given him a great deal of space.
It's worth mentioning that Monreal and Cork are both still out on the field following their respective knocks. No need for any changes just yet.
A big loss for Southampton this evening, but they have coped well without their influential midfielder in the opening 20 minutes...
A very balanced opening to this game, but Southampton are just looking to increase the pressure with a couple of disputed corners. One decent chance each so far, which Welbeck and Pelle failed to bury for their respective sides.
PREMIER LEAGUE UPDATE: Chelsea hold a two-goal lead over Tottenham with a little under 25 minutes played at Stamford Bridge, while Man City have just equalised against Sunderland to make it 1-1 in that one.
Cazorla does well to work some space on the right, sending Bertrand slipping before whipping in a decent cross which passes each of his teammates by.
SAVE! Some nice, intricate passing in and around Southampton's box, instigated by Alexis, ends with Oxlade-Chamberlain taking a couple of touches inside the area and firing a shot goalwards which Forster did well to get down and handle.
Long is the latest player to limp around out on the field, but he is soldiering on at the moment. Mane would be the likely replacement should a change need to be made.
Cork's night looks to be over, as he drops down to the floor once again. Long is also looking over to the touchline - a double early change possibly?
SOUTHAMPTON SUBSTITUTION: A blow for Southampton, then, as Cork leaves the field with Maya Yoshida coming on in his place. Incredibly, Koscielny is also looking a little groggy now. That's Monreal, Long and Koscielny all carrying knocks.
Arsenal just finding their flow a little more frequently in attacking phases now, with Alexis yet again the key creator as he unleashes Monreal down the left. On this occasion the full-back's cross leads to a corner which is easily dealt with by the visitors.
The influential Tadic has swapped flanks with Long, and he will be looking to have a little more joy out on the right. Meanwhile, Chambers lofted in a decent cross into a promising position, which was well headed away in the end.
Yoshida struggles to deal with what should have been a simple clearance at the front post, which gives Welbeck just a little sight of goal. His unorthodox flick could only find the side-netting, though. Not the greatest 36 minutes of football so far, but Southampton will be happy with their work up to this stage.
Arsenal win a free kick out on the left-hand side after Wanyama left his boot in when challenging Alexis. Cazorla floated one into a central area, but Forster took command of the situation to pluck the ball out of the air. The Gunners are lacking any real ideas.
PREMIER LEAGUE UPDATE: Everton now lead against Hull City, while Man City have turned things around at the Stadium of Light to edge ahead 2-1 in that one. Chelsea are seemingly cruising, meanwhile, with a two-goal advantage at home against Spurs.
Martinez has done well to collect a few crosses floated into his area this evening, which is always a positive sign for an inexperienced keeper. He was brilliant against Dortmund last week, also, and could really offer competition when Szczesny returns to the fold.
Half time can't really come soon enough. We've had just a few chances across the 45 minutes, the best of which was worked by Oxlade-Chamberlain, but it is Southampton who will be the happier of the two sides at the break. Arsenal's supporters just seem a little anxious, which is perhaps understandable.
YELLOW CARD! Alderweireld has received the first caution of the evening after bringing down Alexis. Up the other end of the pitch Pelle has a pop at goal, yet his deflected effort from range was never going to beat Martienz.
SAVE! Another important save from Forster, who has just ensured that his side will go into the interval all square. A cross into the box was headed goalwards by Welbeck, and it appeared to take another touch on its way through also, but the England international was on hand to push it over.
HALF TIME: ARSENAL 0-0 SOUTHAMPTON
Well that one just threatened to liven up in the closing stages of the half, with a couple of shots on goal at either end. While Arsenal have struggled to get going so far, they have still created a few openings and forced Forster into making two stops of varying levels of difficulty.
The game has very much been played at Southampton's pace, and they have not looked out of it in the first half, creating one brilliant chance in particular themselves. Pelle was unable to tuck that one away, though, and since then they have not particularly threatened the home side's goal. More to come in the second half from both, then, in a game which will hopefully liven up following the restart.
PREMIER LEAGUE UPDATE: This remains the only top-flight game without a goal this evening. Each half-time score in full can be found by clicking here. It means that, as things stand, Arsenal remain in seventh place - albeit further adrift of the top three sides - while Southampton are still sitting in the lofty heights of third.
SECOND HALF UNDERWAY! So the incentive is certainly there for both sides in this second half, although the onus is very much on Arsenal to find the opening goal.
Just a tad more urgency from the hosts in the opening stages of this half, which was surprisingly lacking in the first half. Welbeck appears to be out on the left, with Alexis now through to the middle.
SHOT! The opening minute aside, where I complemented Arsenal on their added urgency, what we have seen so far following the restart has been identical to the first half. Southampton managed to work the first half-chance from a corner which was played short into the path of Clyne, with the England international in turn picking out Pelle who saw his shot blocked by Koscielny.
Southampton hit their opponents on the break with Wanyama playing in Long down the right channel, but the Irishman fails to look up and see Pelle who is making his way into the box, instead firing over the target. The Saints are looking the livelier side.
Martinez collects a high ball into the box, and quickly launches the ball right up the other end of the field for Alexis to chase down. He does exactly that to win a throw for his side deep in Southampton's half. The Gunners were unable to make any sort of chance out of it, but that is another example of the Chilean's tireless running to create something out of nothing.
Still the Saints are growing in confidence and not allowing Arsenal to build any attacks of their own. Tadic is currently down on the field following a coming together with Cazorla, and looks to be in same pain which is worrying for the visitors.
The playmaker is back on his feet now and looks set to continue. The resulting free kick was launched into the area, but not for the first time tonight Martinez was in control and read the play well to make the ball his own. Can Arsenal step things up as we approach the final 30 minutes? A change looks likely in the next few minutes for the hosts.
A breakdown in understanding between Monreal and Welbeck sees Southampton take back possession after a couple of minutes of Arsenal pressure. I say 'pressure', but the Gunners have offered next to nothing in the final third this half in truth.
SHOT! Well right on cue, Arsenal do manage to string together a few passes around Southampton's area with some decent link-up play, although Cazorla's strike at the end of the move from range is rather horrendous. Welbeck is still out on the left, meanwhile, and he has just passed the ball into an empty space to absolutely nobody... now that sums up his game.
SOUTHAMPTON SUBSTITUTION: Tadic is the second Saints player to be forced off through injury this evening, with Sadio Mane the man to replace him. A different type of option in attack for the visitors, but still no sign of a change from Wenger at the moment.
Chambers swings another fine cross into the box, yet once again it comes to nothing. In the next wave of play the ball found its way to Ramsey on the edge of the area, but the Welshman fired well wide. That may signal a change for the home side.
ARSENAL SUBSTITUTION: Indeed it does, as Olivier Giroud replaces the ineffective Oxlade-Chamberlain. The French striker has three goals in two previous games against the South-Coast club, which he will be hoping to add to here this evening.
Alderweireld comes close to picking out Mane around the back of Arsenal's defence, but it was just about cut out. The Atletico Madrid loanee was a little unhappy with his teammate, because he felt he could have done more to latch onto the ball. This one is too tight to call at the moment.
SAVES! Much, much better from Arsenal, and it is perhaps no coincidence that they have stepped things up with Giroud now on the field. The Frenchman tested Forster with a volley before linking up with Welbeck a minute later with the former Manchester United man forcing Forster into making a world-class stop. His reaction was unbelievable to push the ball around from close range. Credit to the Gunners as well, because that would have been a special goal.
PREMIER LEAGUE UPDATE: While we may be closing in on a goal at the Emirates Stadium, Manchester City can't stop scoring at the Stadium of Light. The resurgent champions now lead Sunderland 4-1, while Chelsea still have their two-goal lead intact against Spurs. Everton have been pegged back by Hull City, meanwhile.
Well there's now less than 15 minutes remaining here, and while it has hardly been a classic, we are set up for a tense finale. Arsenal have looked far more lively over the last 20 minutes or so, but Forster has remained solid between the sticks. A late goal for the Gunners will see them potentially move within one point of the top four.
YELLOW CARD! Wanyama goes in to the referee's book for bringing down Giroud.
Koeman is happy for his players to continue pushing forward in these late stages, with Mane shooting from range. His effort was poor in the end, however, and the half-chance passed his side by.
Ramsey sees his shot inside a packed Southampton box blocked away, and instantly the visitors look to hit their opponents on the break. The attack culminates in a shot on goal which Martinez kept out, while Arsenal then charged forward themselves. A real end-to-end finish at the Emirates Stadium, where we remain goalless with 10 minutes still to go.
SOUTHAMPTON SUBSTITUTION: Long has worked hard this evening, and he is given a warm applause from the visiting section as he makes way for Mayuka.
ARSENAL SUBSTITUTION: Fringe player Podolski is now introduced for Arsenal, with Welbeck the man to make way. He was the hero late on against Anderlecht around this time last month, and a repeat of that right now would do the Gunners a world of good.
Incredible. Alderweireld is the latest Southampton player to leave the field through injury. The Saints will see out the remainder of this one with 10 men.
SHOT! Podolski is given just a little bit of space on the edge of the box, but his weak shot did little to trouble Forster. Southampton have been forced to change things up following that injury to Alderweireld, playing what looks to be a 4-4-1 formation. They will have to sit back now.
Bar that two-minute spell earlier in this half when Forster was forced into making a big double save, Arsenal have not done enough to win this one. They have three minutes to change that.
SAVE! Forster makes another incredible stop to keep out Arsenal! Just as I said the hosts needed to do a little more if they were to claim all three points, it looked as though they were going to do exactly that through Giroud's header, but the Englishman was on hand to keep the effort out.
GOAL! ARSENAL 1-0 SOUTHAMPTON (ALEXIS)
So, so cruel for Southampton, who have just been undone by a late tap-in from Alexis. A huge shout for a penalty was wrongly turned down in the build-up to the goal when Yoshida handled, but it wasn't to matter in the end with Ramsey turning the ball back in where Alexis was waiting to slot in from close range.
SAVE! Ramsey perhaps should have put the game beyond doubt after some unselfish play from Giroud, but yet again Forster made himself big to keep out the midfielder's effort when through on goal. Southampton have looked somewhat comfortable throughout, but they just didn't have enough in the tank after going down to 10 men.
The home side are dominating now, with that goal lifting them massively. They had another penalty appeal turned down when Yoshida brought down Alexis inside the area, but the substitute looked as though he got the slightest of touches on the ball.
YELLOW CARD! Mane brings down the lively Alexis right on the edge of the box, which allows Arsenal to see out the remainder of this game with just seconds remaining at the Emirates Stadium.
FULL TIME: ARSENAL 1-0 SOUTHAMPTON
There we have it then, as Andre Marriner bringing the game to a close. That goal from Alexis late on has a huge impact on proceedings, because Arsenal are now within two points of a Champions League berth. Southampton, who put in a solid performance for the best part of 90 minutes, are slowly drifting away following their third game without a win.
Well that's all from me, but be sure to stick around on Sports Mole as we bring you reports, player ratings and a full match analysis from each of tonight's Premier League games.
