Arsenal’s 22-game unbeaten run came to an end with a 3-2 loss at
Southampton, with
Charlie Austin’s 85th-minute goal sealing a first win for the new Saints manager, Ralph Hasenhüttl.
Arsenal twice equalised through goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and looked like preserving an undefeated streak in the league stretching back 14 games to mid-August.
But Shane Long got free down the right and sent in a cross that sailed over the Arsenal goalkeeper, Bernd Leno, and was headed in at the far post by Austin. It was a goal that lifted Southampton out of the relegation zone with the season’s midway point approaching.
Danny Ings had put Southampton ahead on two occasions with headers, taking advantage of poor positional play from the Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny, who was making his first league start since April after a serious knee injury.
Hasenhüttl took over from Mark Hughes and lost his first game in charge, at Cardiff last weekend. He celebrated the win at St Mary’s by running on to the field and leaping into the air in delight.