Arsenal: Let it not be said that nothing good came from Southampton

Arsenal’s loss against Southampton was sucky, but let it not be said that nothing good came from it. Even if that something good was just a confidence boost.

Arsenal‘s defense was a horror show against Southampton, but then again, they did fall victim to three perfect balls and three perfect headers. Disappointing, yes, but certainly not the end of the world.

And speaking of ends, at the other end of the pitch you might have found more frustration, as the Gunners struggled to band together their attack until later in the match. That is, except for one man – the one thing that was a shining example of “good” throughout a predominantly “bad” match.

And that man was Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenian has not had a good match yet this season. Literally, not a single one. He had twenty good minutes against Chelsea and arguably a whole good half against Manchester United, but 90 minutes of vintage Mkhitaryan? Hasn’t happened.

Until St. Mary’s. Loss aside, streak-ending aside, Mkhitaryan was a very positive influence on the match, and it comes at a needed juncture, where a lot of things seem to be hanging in the balance of health and inconsistency.

Mkhitaryan nabbed two goals to double his season total. The first was a beautiful header that was put exactly where it had to be after a fantastic late run into the box.

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The second, while fortunate to pick up a deflection, was still to his credit, as it was going to be on target regardless and he still had to take the shot to score. So few other shots were getting through, after all.

Mkhitaryan has to have felt a weight lifted, even in the throes of the streak ending. It would be unfair for him not to, he’s waited a long time for this. It’s just a shame it couldn’t have coincided with a better result.

Still, if we had to lose a game, at least we have given a confidence boost to an underperforming superstar who is desperately needed in the coming months, particularly this one.

Mkhitaryan was always tabbed as more of an Emery-type than Ozil, so maybe this can finally be the moment that pushes him towards reliability, where once their was one.

it hasn’t been an easy road, but he does now have four goals, good for third on the team, and an open road to run on, should he capitalize. This is the first steps towards doing just that.