Arsenal scored twice in stoppage time to salvage a point in a thrilling 3-3 home draw with Southampton, but their title aspirations in the Premier League took another hit on a tense Friday night in north London.
In their attempt to fend off Manchester City and win the league for the first time since 2004, Arsenal’s objective was dealt with a huge blow when they went down 2-0 in the first 20 minutes.
After giving up a goal to Carlos Alcaraz after just 28 seconds thanks to goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, they fell behind 2-0 as Theo Walcott, a former Arsenal forward, scored within just 15 minutes.
After 20 minutes, Gabriel Martinelli responded for the Gunners, and in stoppage time of a thrilling first half, Ben White’s header was cleared off the line just before Arsenal came within millimetres of tying the score.
Leandro Trossard was denied by the crossbar in the eighth minute of extra time, while Reiss Nelson, another substitute, saw a deflected attempt agonizingly miss the post.
Gabriel Jesus then tumbled down in the box, pleading for a penalty with Southampton encamped inside their own penalty area, but there would be no resolution to the never-ending drama. At the final siren, both teams’ players fell to the ground in a draw that achieved little to further either team’s starkly different goals.
Even though City has two games in hand, Arsenal did extend their lead over defending champions Manchester City to five points ahead of their potentially pivotal matchup at The Etihad on Wednesday. Southampton, who defied expectations by playing some brave football, are still in last place with 24 points, three points outside of the safety zone despite having played one more game than the teams above them.
Arsenal next fixtures
Manchester City (A) – Wednesday, April 26, 8:00 pm
Chelsea (H) – Tuesday, May 2, 8:00 pm
Newcastle United (A) – Sunday, May 7, 4:30 pm
Brighton & Hove Albion (H) – Sunday, May 14, 4:30 pm
Nottingham Forest (A) – Saturday, May 20, 3:00 pm
Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) – Sunday, May 28, 4:30 pm
