Arsenal returned to winning ways in the Premier League after beating Southampton 2-0 at the St Mary’s Stadium on Thursday.
Mikel Arteta’s men were coming from two defeats against Manchester City and Brighton since the resumption of the league.
Arsenal took the lead through Ghanaian-born England striker Edward Nketiah in the 20th minute. The 21-year-old charged down Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, who was caught on the ball, giving him the easiest of goals with an empty net.
The Gunners, who have lost the fans’ trust due to lacklustre performances since the restart of football, held on to the slim lead till after the break.
Back from recess, Arsenal managed to hold on to the lead with some good passing game.
A number of substitutions from Arteta saw the tactics change for Arsenal.
Nketiah was pulled out for Alexandre Lacazette with Danny Ceballos coming out for Maitland-Niles.
Nicolas Pepe made way for Joe Willock with Kierran Tierney moving out for Siad Kolasinac which eventually paid off.
Joe Willock, who replaced Nicolas Pepe scored the second goal for Arsenal on the 86th minute to cushion the Gunners.
The win pushes Arsenal to 9th with 43 points after 35 matches.
