LONDON — One of the craziest games of the Premier League season saw leaders Arsenal drop more points as they drew 3-3 against Southampton at the Emirates.
In truth the draw helped neither team in their battles for the title and against relegation.
Mikel Arteta could not believe it as his side dropped points again and drew for a third-straight game to hand Manchester City the initiative in the title race.
FULL MATCH REPLAY
Bottom of the table Southampton went 2-0 up early on through Carlos Alcaraz and Theo Walcott as they made the most of sloppy mistakes, while Gabriel Martinelli pulled one back for Arsenal before the break.
Southampton went 3-1 up in the second half as Duje Caleta-Car headed home but then Arsenal roared back and scored in the 88th and 90th minute through through Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.
The point puts Arsenal on 75 points for the season, five points ahead of second-place Manchester City but City have two games in-hand. Southampton move on to 24 points and are three points from safety with six games to go.
[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]
Sloppy mistakes continue for the Gunners
After all of the talk about their collapses against Liverpool and West Ham in back-to-back games the last thing Arsenal needed was a sloppy, error-strewn start against bottom of the table Southampton. That is what they got. Aaron Ramsdale’s horrendous error after 29 seconds set the tone and a misplaced pass was then ruthlessly punished as they were 2-0 down after 14 minutes. They then allowed Southampton a free header from a corner to go 3-1 up. Arsenal’s attacking play was superb throughout and grabbed them a point late on. And there has never been a question about how good they are going forward. But there has now been a long trend (Bournemouth at home, Villa away, the last three games) of Arsenal making sloppy defensive errors and being their own worst enemies. Arsenal’s Achilles heel is clear and has been made even clearer in the absence of William Saliba. When all is said and done, the results over the last three games are probably going to be what costs Arsenal the title. They are still in the hunt but they’ve stuttered badly.
Theo Walcott reflects on goal; says Arsenal “way better” than Man City
Mikel Arteta ”very confident” of win against Man City
Stars of the show; Arsenal vs Southampton player ratings
Theo Walcott: Scored a beauty of a goal on his return to Arsenal and always willing to run and give Saints an outlet.
Bukayo Saka: Whipped in a great ball for Martinelli’s goal, scored the equalizer and was a constant threat. He and Gabriel Martinelli were brilliant as usual but couldn’t do it all on their own.

What’s next?
Arsenal are next in action when they head to Manchester City on Wednesday, April 26 for a huge title showdown. Southampton host Bournemouth on Thursday, April 27 in a South Coast derby.
Arsenal vs Southampton reaction
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta — quotes from the BBC:
“It hasn’t changed. Obviously the task is even bigger, but now we have to do the simple things better and cut out mistakes, and then you will win games.”
…
“Obviously unhappy with the result. We made it very difficult again for ourselves, but mistakes are part of football but the way we reacted I love my players more than ever.
“It is incredible, we were on the way back, we conceded again with a sloppy goal but in the end we should have won the game. We created enough chances and opportunities, but it didn’t happen and we are disappointed.
“You can’t concede three goals in this league. If you concede three like we did in a sloppy way, it is very difficult to win matches.
“This young team reacts in a way that is incredible, when it is against the odds, but the chances they created and the spirit they had it was a joy to watch. The message is clear that I love them.
“We are down and they are more willing than anybody to win it. You can see that spirit and fight in the dressing room, but it is clear we have to do defensive things better.”
How to watch Arsenal vs Southampton live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 3pm ET, Friday
TV Channel: USA Network
Online: Stream via NBCSports.com
Arsenal vs Southampton live analysis! – By Joe Prince-Wright at Emirates Stadium
FULL TIME – Arsenal 3-3 Southampton. What a game.
🤯 One of the craziest games I’ve ever seen. That had it all. 3-3. Late drama. Amazing.
Recap, reaction, video highlights & analysis ➡️ https://t.co/vO3eUNoFrq
My thoughts on an absolutely crazy Arsenal v Southampton game ⤵️ #AFC #SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/r7tXOUY3zu
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) April 21, 2023
This is nuts.
WIDE! So close to a goal. Shot is deflected wide. Arsenal are throwing everything at Southampton.
CROSSBAR! Leandro Trossard hits the bar. They are pushing for a winner. This is bonkers.
GOALLL! Arsenal 3-3 Southampton – Bukayo Saka slots home a rebound. Chaos here at the Emirates. 8 minutes of stoppage time.
GOALLL! Arsenal 2-3 Southampton – Martin Odegaard curls home a beauty. How did he have that much space!? We are into the 90th minute.
Romeo Lavia is replace by Ibrahima Diallo. Lavia gets a standing ovation from the Southampton fans. Rightly so. What a talent the 19 year old midfielder is. #SaintsFC
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) April 21, 2023
About five minutes to go, plus stoppage time. The Saints fans in the away end are making all of the noise. Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah both on for Arsenal, who have gone to basically a 4-1-5 formation.
About 10 minutes to go, plus stoppage time.
This is some stat and just shows how crazy of a scoreline this is at the Emirates.
3 – Southampton are the first team in Premier League history to start the day bottom of the table and score 3+ goals against the team starting the day top. Shock. pic.twitter.com/KipTyqR64e
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 21, 2023
GOALLLL! Arsenal 1-3 Southampton – Duje Caleta-Car heads home a fine corner from Ward-Prowse after a lovely flick on by Bella-Kotchap. The Saints fans go absolutely bonkers. Arsenal’s fans are stunned here at the Emirates.
A dream day for the Saints. they're up 3-1 on league leading Arsenal!
📺: @USANetwork | #ARSSOU pic.twitter.com/DGbhidfX3c
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 21, 2023
HUGE, huge, huge (did I mention huge?) 30 minutes in the season for both Arsenal and Southampton. It is getting very tense here.
Basically a 5-4-1 formation for Southampton now. Adam Armstrong is a very isolated figure up top. #SaintsFC dropping deeper and deeper.
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) April 21, 2023
Leandro Trossard is on for Fabio Vieira. Huge roar from the home fans.
CHANCE! A ball is whipped in and Lyanco flicks it away just as Fabio Vieira is about to head home. Arsenal cranking through the gears.
Second half is underway. Lyanco on at half time for Saints, who have switched to a 3-5-2.
🤯 What a crazy game unfolding.
Half time and Arsenal fans here still very confident and predicting a 4-2 win.
Watch live + analysis + video highlights ➡️ https://t.co/vO3eUNoFrq
My thoughts on Arsenal v Southampton ⤵️ #AFC #SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/OEUZxYRtAV
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) April 21, 2023
HALF TIME: Arsenal 1-2 Southampton – What. A. Half. That was absolutely bonkers from start to finish. Southampton scored twice after two mistakes from Arsenal but the Gunners got one back before the break and it has pretty much been one way traffic. What a big second half coming up for both of these teams in their respective campaigns.
CLOSE! What a clearance from Alcaraz off his own line. Ben White’s flicked header from a corner looked certain to go in but somehow Alcaraz headed if off the line.
SAVE! Gavin Bazunu stands tall and denies Gabriel Jesus after a rapid Arsenal counter attack.
Seven minutes of stoppage time. Gabriel heads over as it begins. Arsenal pushing hard for the equalizer before the break.
Jan Bednarek is desperate to come back on after going down injured but he is not going to be allowed to. Duje Caleta-Car is on for him. 5 minutes before half time. There will be a lot of stoppage time.
There are legends and then there are LEGENDS. Henry and Vieira in the house.
Arsenal legends Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry look on as the Gunners trail Southampton.
📺: @USANetwork | #ARSSOU pic.twitter.com/Q7GC5FqTn8
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 21, 2023
SAVE! Almost a third for Southampton. Aaron Ramsdale saves twice from Elyounoussi and then Alcaraz. Brilliant play from Romeo Lavia before that.
Only 20 minutes in and we have three quality goals and a whole lot of drama.
GOALLLL! Arsenal 1-2 Southampton – Bukayo Saka with a lovely run and cross and he finds Gabriel Martinelli who slams home. Game on!
The Arsenal fans are urging their team on. They have actually been pretty good and created a lot of half chances.
Arsenal have huddled together on the pitch after falling behind Southampton early. #ARSSOU
📺: @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/Bnzvo0muzR
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) April 21, 2023
GOALLLL! Arsenal 0-2 Southampton after 14 minutes. Theo Walcott scores a beauty of a goal against his former club. Lovely ball from Carlos Alcaraz to find Walcott in-behind and he slots home. The Arsenal fans here are stunned. I repeat, 1st place Arsenal are losing 2-0, at home, to 20th place Southampton.
The last time Arsenal conceded a goal at home in the first minute was against Bournemouth. They ended up winning that game 3-2 in dramatic fashion late on. Are we about to see another thriller today?
The away fans are going bonkers. Southampton’s supporters are in dreamland. For now. There is a long way to go and Arsenal are pushing hard for the equalizer.
GOALLLL! Arsenal 0-1 Southampton – Carlos Alcaraz has put Southampton 1-0 up inside the first minute!!! I don’t believe this. Terrible mistake from Aaron Ramsdale but Alcaraz finishes superbly. Wow. What a start here. The home fans roar their team on and chant Ramsdale’s name, but that is a huge error.
KICK OFF: We are underway at the Emirates! What a great atmosphere here.
🔥 The atmosphere is electric here in north London! Friday night under the lights. Lovely.
Watch live + analysis + video highlights here ➡️ https://t.co/vO3eUNoFrq
My thoughts on Arsenal v Southampton ⤵️ #AFC #SaintsFC #ARSSOU pic.twitter.com/3yJJjQerKI
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) April 21, 2023
Lovely atmosphere is building here. The drum is beating already. It’s a Friday night, under the lights and so much is at stake for both teams. Beautiful.
The team news is out and the big surprise for Arsenal is no Granit Xhaka, with Fabio Vieira coming into the starting lineup. The only other change for the Gunners is Zinchenko coming in at left back as he returns from injury. Southampton bring Adam Armstrong, Romain Perraud and Mohamed Elyounoussi in, while Theo Walcott starts against his former club.
Hello and welcome to a very sunny north London! A lovely spring evening here and there is real optimism in the air in the streets surrounding the stadium. 1st place Arsenal host 20th place Southampton and both teams need the points for very different reasons.
Can Arsenal momentarily move seven points clear at the top of the table? Of course, Man City will have two games in-hand before their huge game against the Gunners next week, but getting a win here is crucial for Arsenal.
The perfect walk to a stadium doesn’t exi… pic.twitter.com/lnkAaMmopa
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) April 21, 2023
Key storylines & in-form key players
The Gunners need more from their midfield, which could mean Jorginho enters the fray for Thomas Partey. But Martin Odegaard and Granit Xhaka figure to be key pieces regardless, as they’ve let the way through example in very different manners.
Southampton have many players who can change the game with one key moment, whether James Ward-Prowse through free kicks, Romeo Lavia through an exceptional idea, or Carlos Alcaraz with a freaky show of skill. They’ll need two or three of those to show up if they’re going to grab a first-ever Premier League win at the Emirates.
Arsenal team news, injuries, lineup
OUT: William Saliba (back), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), Mohamed Elneny (knock), Granit Xhaka (unknown)
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️
🔙 Zinchenko returns
🪄 Vieira in midfield
🌶️ Saka in attack
Let’s get back to winning ways, together! pic.twitter.com/VK0bayYcBn— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 21, 2023
Southampton team news, injuries, lineup
OUT: Juan Larios (adductor), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (loan – unable to face parent club), Che Adams (calf), Mohammed Salisu (undisclosed), Valentino Livramento (fitness)
Lining up in London 😇
Here’s the #SaintsFC team for tonight’s game against Arsenal: pic.twitter.com/zIhxoVZ882
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) April 21, 2023