Arsenal: 3 positives from dreadful Southampton defeat

3. Eddie Nketiah Offers a Different Threat

There was a moment in the first half where Nketiah received the ball on the half-turn, spun the central defender marking him tightly, ran the channels, got brought down, and won a foul.

It was one of the most beautiful scenes of the entire season; an Arsenal centre-forward actually turning and running towards goal. There were tears in the away end.

But in all seriousness, while he, like everyone, wasn’t great, to actually have some differing type of threat in a game from a centre-forward is a breath of fresh air. When Southampton kept backing off Nketiah became less and less involved – his hold up play was poor – but that first half showed Arsenal that there is something different out there, regardless of how average the individual’s quality may be.

Were it not for Nketiah’s harassing of the ball high up the pitch then Saka wouldn’t have had his golden chance. It was his pressing that won the ball back before he star boy saw his shot saved, and just that passage alone provided something that Lacazette hasn’t offered for months, if indeed at all this term.

There are still glaring deficiencies in his game and nobody should be hopeful of sudden turnaround in Arsenal’s fortunes but, even if he does just the one action like he did in the build-up to Saka’s chance, it’s more than the team have been having from their other centre-forward of late, one who looks like he might miss out for Wednesday’s clash with Chelsea.