SOUTHAMPTON...0 ARSENAL...1 It may amaze Arsenal that they have gone half a Premiership season unbeaten and still are not top of the table, but they will feel nicely placed as 2004 starts. This deserved victory lifted them to within a point of Manchester United and was achieved with greater ease than the score suggests.
Arsene Wenger's players controlled the vast majority of the match and Robert Pires's goal from Thierry Henry's pass saw off an inexperienced Southampton who were several notches below their opponents in quality.
With Ray Parlour and Patrick Vieira dominant, and the forwards threatening in bursts, only two good saves by Antti Niemi and a couple of near misses kept Arsenal to a single strike. Their total of 45 points is considerably more than at this stage in their two Premiership title wins. They had 33 at the midpoint in 1997-98 and 36 in 2001-02. History suggests their best is yet to come.
Southampton fans could have been forgiven for fearing the worst after Jason Dodd and Claus Lundekvam, two of their most experienced defenders, were ruled out because of illness. In their places, Chris Baird was handed his first start since the FA Cup final and Fitz Hall made his Premiership debut.
Yet Arsenal can hardly have expected a straightforward evening given that Southampton beat Manchester United here in August and had won three home games on the bounce. Wenger had said beforehand that his team would have to be at their best, doubtless remembering their chastening experience on this ground last season.
Southampton won that match 3-2 after Sol Campbell had been sent off and Pascal Cygan struggled to cope with the imposing figure of James Beattie. Despite that torrid afternoon, Cygan retained his place at the heart of Arsenal's defence for this match.
The Frenchman did not have much to worry him early on as Arsenal seized the initiative, keeping almost all the possession and transferring the ball smoothly in search of openings. Southampton presented them a surprising amount of space in which to play in the opening 20 minutes.
The danger of retreating in the face of Arsenal's attacks was seen when Vieira went striding through the centre and Kolo Toure burst down the right. Yet Arsenal did not create clear openings to begin with, even if Pires and Dennis Bergkamp were allowed opportunities to feed in passes from good areas.
Not that it was a shock when chances did come Arsenal's way. Failing to heed the early warning signs, Southampton stood back as Henry accelerated and it needed a good save by Niemi to tip over the striker's shot. Less than a minute later Bergkamp ought to have scored but put his header into the side netting after typical Henry brilliance had seen him beat two men and cross.
Gradually, Southampton began to show more of their customary fight and unsettle Arsenal. After an opening in which they could do almost as they pleased, Wenger's players lost much of their rhythm as their opponents warmed up. In central midfield Rory Delap and David Prutton were putting pressure on the ball more quickly and Paul Telfer was full of energy.
There remained little fluency to Southampton's play but their high balls and passes into the channels occasionally unsettled Arsenal. They were, though, finding clear openings hard to come by. Beattie was a peripheral figure and their only meaningful effort on goal in the first half came when Kevin Phillips brought a save from Jens Lehmann.
Their labours contrasted with some of Arsenal's best moments and it was a fine Arsenal move which culminated in Pires giving his side the lead in the 35th minute. The ball was transferred quickly from Bergkamp to Henry, whose clever pass was perfect for Pires to run on to from the left. The France midfielder's first-time shot beat Niemi.
It was typical of Arsenal's quality that they had struck after a period in which they had scarcely threatened.
Southampton briefly began the second half on the front foot, presumably a response to Strachan's team talk, but there was still little sign that they possessed the craft to break down Arsenal. They looked most dangerous at set-pieces and soon Arsenal regained their dominance.
Henry sent a free-kick just over from 30 yards and it needed an excellent Niemi save to deny Ljungberg after Baird sliced an attempted clearance.
Yet Wenger will have been desperate for Arsenal to confirm their superiority with another goal after seeing his team lose leads at Leicester and Bolton over recent weeks.
Guardian Service
SOUTHAMPTON: Niemi, Baird (Kenton 59), Michael Svensson, Hall, Higginbotham, Griffit (Ormerod 57), Delap, Prutton, Telfer (McCann 78), Beattie, Phillips. Subs Not Used: Jones, Marsden. Booked: McCann.
ARSENAL: Lehmann, Toure, Cygan, Campbell, Clichy, Ljungberg (Edu 73), Vieira, Parlour, Pires (Lauren 87), Bergkamp (Kanu 74), Henry. Subs Not Used: Stack, Keown. Goal: Pires 35.
Referee: S Dunn (Gloucestershire).
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