Premier League hits and misses: Fatigue hurts Arsenal

Arsenal stutter as fatigue sets in

Arsenal rolled into St Mary’s like a side top of the table that had won eight games on the bounce.

Once Granit Xhaka fired in the opener it felt inevitable that the floodgates would open. Southampton had no answer to the slick brand of football that has got so many people talking about Arsenal as serious contenders this season.

As the second half wore on, though, it became clear that Arsenal were unable to match the levels of intensity they had produced in the first half.

Arsenal’s number of attempts on goal halved to four in the second half during which time they failed to register a single shot on target. Their fall-off was evident out of possession too, with their number of successful tackles dropping from nine to three after the break.