A great battling point at the Emirates as Fraser Forster put in one of the best goalkeeping performances from a Saints keeper in the Premier division since the days of Antti Niemi.

The final whistle at the Emirates saw the Saints support breathe a sigh of relief, although the first half had been fairly even the second was truly backs to the wall stuff for Saints with Fraser Forster magnificent, you don't get many genuine 10/10 performances on a football field but this was one of them.

The first half saw Saints have chances and Arsenal thwarted by Fraser Forster, but overall although the Gunners had the edge, Saints could go in at the break feeling they were in control of the situation and well placed in the second half to do as they had at Old Trafford and snatch the game in the final stages.

But this would be no Old Trafford and Saints had to deal with wave after wave of Arsenal attacks, their supporters may have been critical of their side post match but stats of 67% possession, 21 attempts with 11 on target are not shabby, one man made the difference.

It is easy to feel euphoric after this point, but the reality is that if Saints had been beaten 4-0 they would not have been able to complain, Arsenal had the chances but Fraser Forster was magnificent and his display spurred his team on to put in a heroic rear guard action.

Every player played his part in what resembled the Alamo, you half expected Davey Crocket to come on as sub for Saints when Jose Fonte suffered a cut head such was the Arsenal dominance and that is something that Ronald Koeman will not be happy about.

So what was good about this result is the way we defended as a team, dug in and got a result, it was clear that there was a collective team spirit that carried us through and tis is very pleasing.

What was bad about the result though was the total domination that Arsenal had in the second half, we just could not seem to get out of our own half and when we did we offered little real threat on goal and gave away possession too cheaply.

I am not one that considers Sadio Mane to be some sort of traitor, I have heard all sorts of abuse hurled at him of late, much of which is undeserved, he did not ask to be the subject of a Manchester United pr exercise last August, but the truth is that at the moment he is a shadow of his former self.

He has blistering pace, but last night he could not seem to be able to beat his man, on one occasion he had the chance to get one on one, but he lacked the confidence to take the back man on and was shunted wide eventually getting in a fairly tame 20 yard drive that Cech stopped easily.

But there were always be games in which the manner of a result does not matter and all that does matter is that we left the Emirates with point, prior to our two away trips to Manchester United and Arsenal we would have been almost happy to take one point from the games, to have taken four is excellent and there won't be too many teams who will be able to say that this season.

So let's finish this verdict on a high note, we got a point, we saw a brilliant display from Fraser Forster and we saw a team spirit as good as any seen in a Saints team for a long time, we are in a good position to make a good surge in the final third of the season for not only a top 7 position, but even higher than that.

Photo: Action Images

simmo400 added 12:55 - Feb 3 The team played as a team no doubt, but the worry was giving the ball away too cheaply allowing them to come at as time and time again. I guess Pelle was brought on to hold the ball up but it just didnt happen. so a great battling draw but our forward players need to let the defence have a breather now and then.
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SaintNick added 13:00 - Feb 3 I think the forwards were isolated too much, we just couldnt get the ball to them
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NYC_Saint added 13:10 - Feb 3 As a former keeper it's worth pointing out that many keepers will pull off many of the saves FF did and will be written up as having had a great game but finally succumbed to the inevitable etc etc. There really are genuinely few that can keep their focus and concentration and keep a clean sheet like that - that's the storied "10 -15 points a season keeper". Even more remarkable following such a long absence. However the best part for me was how well he commanded the 6 yard box - it looks like he's lost some weight making him a bit quicker (not to mention his agility for such a big guy) and much more confident coming out to take crosses and take the pressure off the center halves.

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Mel_Kenny added 13:15 - Feb 3 Forster has definitely lost the belly, far leaner than before the injury...and so much better for it
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ericofarabia added 13:36 - Feb 3 Can't give him a 10/10 ..... last minute of the game, he punted the ball into touch when we needed to keep possession. 9.99/10 ;-)
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codge added 13:41 - Feb 3 Forster 0 Arsenal 0 enough said Coyr.
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FrankSaint added 13:42 - Feb 3 Just a few points to add. If Jay can come back from injury second time round like Fraser has it will be like adding Vardy to the squad! Long looked really aggrieved the whole game and played like he was wearing mucky contact lenses. Terrible touch and passing. If we had brought our shooting boots with us we could easily have scored two. I watched in an Arsenal pub and that's what their fans were saying. Their defence parted like the Red Sea, only not just the once but four times. Ward-Prowse played like a young Alan Ball with incredible energy and Romeu was immense metaphorically and literally but can also turn on a six pence!

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saintsnutcase added 14:28 - Feb 3 I am usually a big fan of what Shane Long brings to the squad, but his ball control was awful last night. And Mane needs a rest. The midfield three were excellent, but we could not hold the ball up front so there were just waves of Arsenal pressure. We could easily have lost 4-0. Thanks Fraser!
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TimSaint added 14:38 - Feb 3 I know you said Prem League, but that is being a little harsh on Kelvin's performance at Elland Road - where he won us the 3 points almost single handedly after SRL had volleyed us in front. (Granted there was not too much else from him after that !!) :o) Great to have him back and the extra confidence our defence has, as he shouts his instructions and organises us. He was only doing his job - much to the annoyance of Wenger, which was probably the cause of his tunnel outburst. The only time Arsenal managed to beat him, Prowse was on the line to clear :o)

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SaintNick added 14:42 - Feb 3 I deliberately said Premier League for added effect, Kelvin's performance at leeds was up with this one
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Consigliere added 15:27 - Feb 3 ITS ALWAYS A PLEASURE visiting the Arsenal ground (good places to eat nearby, nice walk across Highbury Fields, big sign outside the ground saying "Welcome Southampton Fans") but yesterday evening will live on in the memory for one of the greatest goalkeeping performances your consigliere has ever witnessed. By half way through the second half even the doubters were starting to believe that Forster would never let the Arsenal score, even with his legs hobbled, his hands tied behind him and a blindfold over his eyes, and so it proved to be. Fine performance too from JWP, Fonte, Van Dyke and Romeu, and at the other end, I don't share the criticisms made by others of Mane, Long and Tadic. That they wasted some chances I don't dispute, but these were not unforced errors. The Arsenal box was well-defended and the chances to score infrequent. The Highbury Library lived up to its name, save at the end when they booed off their players, but each time Saints attacked there was a palpable fear in the Arsenal defence and from their fans that we might just pull a result from the hat. They had to be sharp too, and they were. Venger can moan all he likes but his players did not let him down. This was a gritty match with both sides matching each other in terms of determination and will, but at the end of the day and to return to where I started, the difference was the big chap in the Saints goal. A very fine evening's entertainment.

1

SaintPaulVW added 16:02 - Feb 3 Just wish we could get more shots on target. Brilliant, brilliant defending but just need that cutting edge up front to nick one. But things are looking up. Roll on the Hammers!
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halftimeorange added 18:30 - Feb 3 Targett and Austin should replace Tadic and Mane against WHU. If Austin is unfit then give Juanmi a longer run out. Mane has lost his nerve. Tadic is not any good for more than 20 to 30 minutes. Arsenal were a bit curate's egg last night but should have scored. We never looked to have a goal in us.
1

schatfield added 19:55 - Feb 3 If skeletonburg was in goal last night, no doubt i think we would have lost 4-0. Agree with the others on Forsters weight, he definitely looks more agile too
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SaintBrock added 22:28 - Feb 3 Let's face it Fraser saved our bacon, were it not for him we would have been thrashed. We had no attacking threat simply because we had no link-up attacking midfielder who could hold up the ball, move forward and create space and movement up front. I am not anti JWP but last night he was hopeless, very much on the periphery of things. He didn't win a single tackle and when he did get the ball all he did with it was lay-off very short safe passes sideways or to men in positions where they had no room to do anything. He seems very uncomfortable on the ball and I for one do not understand all the positive comment he gets from commentators. Why he was preferred over Jordy Clasie only Ron knows. If he excels in training where there is no risk but then fails in matches when the pressure is on and it matters then the coaches need to sort him out. We can accept he has no pace but there is also a distinct lack of skill and match craft on display all too often. Let's hope Steven Davis is back soon and definitely Clasie v West Ham please.

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perazi added 09:45 - Feb 4 It was a great battling draw where we rode our luck and digged in with magnificent performances from Vic, Romeu, VVD, Fonte and Bertrand and of course Mr Forster. I have to agree with Saint Brock, I don't understand the many who are commenting that JWP had a good game!!!! What am I missing? Take out the very good dead ball "right to left delivery" and what else is there? In all my time I've never seen a Footballer who gets so much publicity and so many accolades for so little performance. My other gripe is the recent bagging out of Mane...yes, he has spurned several good goal scoring opportunities lately, but his effort, speed and contribution are still first class - get off his back. We missed Davis and/or Clasie v Arsenal; there wasn't anyone to run the ball forward and provide service to Mane and Long - but, in the end it was a great point.

1

SaintJez added 11:56 - Feb 4 Let's not lose sight of the fact that Arsenal are a very good side - especially at home - and we competed with them in all areas. I do think it's fair to expect more of the front 3 as Arsenal expose their defence on a regular basis and we didn't make enough of the chances we had. Mane is off form but clearly worth his place. Tadic more an impact sub at the current time. JWP offers something which we don't have otherwise which is genuine quality from a dead ball and he will become a better player the more he plays (and he's not a bad one today!). I really feel we must keep playing him. For me, I'd play JWP in the advanced right position and Mane left with VW holding and 2 of Claisie, Romeu and Davis in the middle with him. I feel that gives us balance and options - both on the pitch and off the bench.

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RogerToye added 12:44 - Feb 4 Great result that was a strong arsenal forward line Saints managed to keep them out some players need cycling and to see some of our stars out with injury and resting and then to put in the 2 performances against titles contenders like Saints have bodes well going forward.
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IanRC added 18:16 - Feb 5 Agree entirely that Mane has lost a bit of confidence but do not think there is any way he should be dropped. His work rate is second to none covering back and breaking forward. Part of this is RK presumably asking him to play a little deeper but he is still a tremendous asset. For me apart from Forster first name on the team sheet.
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