Arsenal: Alexis Sanchez shows why he’s expensive

It was a moment of brilliance from Alexis Sanchez that gave Arsenal the win over Southampton, proving exactly why he is so expensive.

Tight games are often won if two ways: a moment of utter madness or a moment of sheer brilliance. In recent weeks, Arsenal have been involved in a number of tight games. Their wins over Leicester City and Manchester United hinged on moments of madness – two deflected goals that were extremely fortunate. However, Wednesday night’s trip to Southampton, while another tight affair, was won in a very different manner.

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With the game a dire drab of safe passing and poor quality in the final third, there was a need for a spark. Sprinklings of magic had occurred throughout the 90 minutes, a Mesut Ozil flick here, an Aaron Ramsey spin here. But none had been strung together with such ruthless fluency to slice open the opposition.

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That was until the 59th minute. Ozil, with his usually timely passing, slid a first-time ball into the feet of Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean then pirouetted away from two Southampton defenders and set up to fire a shot on his right foot. He then feigned the shot, sending both defenders for an ice cream, opening up the goal to slot past the onrushing Fraser Forster with his left-foot. It was a sumptuous piece of play.

Arsenal would eventually run out 2-0 winners when Olivier Giroud diverted Aaron Ramsey’s intelligent, square header into the gaping net, but it was Sanchez who produced the moment of brilliance that was required to break down a disciplined and well-organised Southampton defence.

And ultimately, that is why players like Sanchez are such expensive commodities. Winning a Premier League title requires consistency: consistency in results, consistency in performances and consistency in the line-up. But to win games with any semblance of regularity requires players like Sanchez executing moments of class on a frequent basis.

There are many players that have the technical skill or the mental awareness or the physical athleticism to score the goal that Sanchez did against Southampton. There are many players who can pick a ball out the sky, let it drop dead, spin past a defender and slide the ball into the far corner. There are many players who can unleash a rocket of a shot, almost breaking the net, from way outside the area.

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There aren’t, however, many players who can perform such extraordinary pieces of play consistently. That is why Sanchez is demanding £300,000-a-week wages – and may well be worth it. Because he can score such incredible goals week in, week out. And he did so again on Wednesday.