Ultimately it was heartbreak for Saints in an injury hit battle, but they showed that they have the pride and the guts to take on anyone in this League.

Although it was pretty much a rearguard action as Saints seemed to pick up injury after injury, the whole team showed guts and pride in a performance that proved to a watching TV audience that they have what it takes to go to the wire in this season.

If it wasn't bad enough that they had to start the game with an injury list that included Morgan Schneiderlin, James Ward Prowse and Jay Rodriguez, it seemed to be one of those nights were we were not only having to play the opposition but lady luck as well and she wasnt smiling on us.

The loss of Jack Cork before the half hour mark was bad enough, but we regrouped and Toby Alderweireld was outstanding in central midfield, next to take a knock was Shane Long, but it seemed that he had to soldier on which he did excellently.

In the second half Long would surely have come off but Tadic got a knock and he again had to battle on, ironically just as we looked to be in the final five minutes or so and Long finally got that well earned rest, Toby Alderweireld Saints outfield man of the match pulled up with a hamstring injury and we were down to ten men.

Truth is though we gave the game away in the final minute, Fonte really should have cleared the ball and on another day may have seen a penalty given against him, his wild slice went on to his own arm and left an easy cross for Sanchez to tap tap in.

It was frustrating that after coming so far and battling the odds and matching Arsenal that we gave the game away so sloppily at the death.

But we restored our pride after the Manchester City defeat and i would say that very few sides in this division could battle as we did with so many key men injured to start with and then to lose three more during the game.

Arsenal knew they got lucky on this, yes they had plenty of possession and yes Fraser Forster was man of the match with not only a string of fine saves but a command of his box that was a delight to see, but the game was dominated by the injuries we suffered and the reshuffles we have to do.

The real irony is that in most games Ronald Koeman has only used two subs , seemingly preferring to be cautious and hold one back for emergencies, on the day he doesn't it turns out to be the day he needs to.

Saints fans should be proud of their team tonight, it showed character and it showed heart, that will stand us in good stead for the rest of the season. .

Photo: Action Images

irontwit added 22:27 - Dec 3 Long put in a great shift today and surely must start ahead of Mane every time now. Davis was also immense throughout making up for his howler against City. Overall a really gutsy team performance but the injury list is starting to look worrying. I'm hoping that we're not in for another bleak December.
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Consigliere added 22:37 - Dec 3 Well my ears are still ringing from the noise of the Saints supporters singing and chanting all around me to the bitter end of the game, and that says quite a lot - the fans saw a gritty performance which on another day would have lead to a fighting draw or even a breakaway win. We can be disappointed - and I surely am - but we mustn't be negative about tonight's performance. There needs to be better finishing and chances must be taken but this was still a good performance and Arsenal supporters will think themselves fortunate to have come away with a result. Playing like this I can still see us beating Man U.

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SaintMaw added 22:53 - Dec 3 We need to build confidence.....we just barely lost today and I am sure that Korean said that in the post match talk. That should relax us and build confidence. We can go in to Monday Nights game aiming to win. Hopefully the injuries aren't as bad. I'm happy that the players are not being stupid and making injuries worse. These are the darkest times of the season so far and hopefully we can see the light at the end of the tunnel sooner rather that later.

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SanMarco added 00:13 - Dec 4 Glad to see comments so far are positive. The injury list is getting pretty horrendous though. A few weeks ago we would have won this game but I feel we have gone off the boil a bit going forward. Arsenal's defense is their weakness and we didn't push them enough. That said, given the injuries, we deserved a point. We are due some luck against the 'big boys' - Monday night perhaps?

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darthvader added 00:58 - Dec 4 Felt sorry for cork he look very upset having to come off , it was a nasty knock. Also felt sorry for Harry reed if he's on the bench then surely he's the best one to replace cork ? Same at half time last week ? That aside we battled well and looked the better side up until we went down to 10 . Was gutted we didn't hang on but happy with the performance . We can beat man ure coyr

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TeamCortese added 07:02 - Dec 4 Was at the game last night....Basically what I'm about to say will probably upset a few people on this forum but it has to be said. Our team were very average last night and on the balance of things probably deserved a draw but definitely didn't deserve not to lose the match. We lacked creativity and from the off were playing for a point. I was hoping Tadic would provide something different but he was nowhere to be seen. Our best players are Alderweireld, Clyne, Schneiderlin, Wanyama and Bertrand. The rest are average. If we can keep those players fit and find adequate replacements from the transfer of JRod then we have a fighting chance of staying in the top 6. The reason I'm presuming JRod is leaving is because the club has stood by him despite him having an ACL injury and he's still hesitant to sign a new contract. For me that shows a lack of commitment and respect to the club. Everyone knows contracts mean nothing nowadays. In many regards, contracts are just a form of protection to ensure the club maximises the player's market price. So he'll always have the option to leave anyway and more importantly get a better pay-packet off the back of it. I don't rate Shane Long and I still don't understand why we paid £12m for him. Especially when you consider Bojan was brought by Stoke for £3m. The guy runs like a donkey and has no composure in front of goal. I'm beginning to question Roko's tactical decision making. Yoshida is awful. Why did he opt for Yoshida over Gardos and Reed? It was simply baffling! Mane annoys me. The guys keeps slipping up in all departments (literally and metaphorically). Our bench in general doesn't offer much change to our starting eleven. Mayuka needs to leave! He's simply not good enough because he hasn't played enough football for last 18 months. He's a shadow of the player that won the African Nations Cup. I just think in general we need to buy heavily in the January transfer window. We need another attacking-mid to provide competition for Tadic. We another striker to provide competition and ease off the pressure of scoring goals for Pelle. And lastly we need cover for Clyne and Mane. Knowing the board they won't do anything because our target was top 10 this season.

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TheWestStand added 07:04 - Dec 4 No mention of Wanyama. I thought he was immense for us tonight. Hugely strong and getting better in possession every match. Also looking to play forward passes more often. To cap it all he's only 23!! Had to double check that. Frightening to think how could he might be for us if we can keep him.
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TheWestStand added 07:26 - Dec 4 Teamcortese- "from the off played for a point" ???? What utter tosh. I can only imagine you stayed in your seat while the other Saints fans stood and you couldn't see clearly. For the most part of the match we had two up front and the pundits on TV here in South Africa commented that we had dominated most of the first half deserving a goal. The well documented injuries forced our hand and credit to RK that he was still trying to win it at the end by bringing on Mayuka when he could have put on Gardos as an extra defender ( which ironically might have got us a point - but I'm actually pleased he kept looking for that win). So you say that you know the Board and they won't do anything in the transfer window. I assume you mean the same Board that sat on their hands after the summer exodus?! But hang on, wasn't that the Board that made us one of the top Premier League spenders in the summer? Seems your knowledge of the Board is somewhat short sighted like your vision last night.

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aceofthebase added 07:53 - Dec 4 Teamcortese.. One or two valid points mixed up in a dire and ludicrous analysis.Your best players were correct, tho you missed out Forster and the forwards no longer threatening enough.
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TeamCortese added 08:10 - Dec 4 TheWestStand: Everyone has their own perspective. I definitely didn't see any player in a Saints shirt (apart from Alderweireld) trying to make things happen in the final third. The injury was unfortunate but the reality is Arsenal always look more likely to score than us -- even when we had 11 men. I'm not trying to slate Southampton. I'm just trying to be objective. With regards to the board they have been extremely lucky. The only thing I can give them credit for is the appointment of Koeman. Ultimately the club is profitable from a business perspective but lacks depth from a footballing point of view. We need more players in the transfer window and from what I've read the board has warned supporter funds will be limited. Also we never had to sell so many players last summer and if things had gone differently I can guarantee you everyone would be calling for their resignation. Listen Southampton are doing extremely well but to maintain this run people have to be more discerning of the team and the club's overall performance.

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SanMarco added 08:22 - Dec 4 Do I sense that after just two defeats (in very tough matches and where we have been unlucky with injuries) the negative people from the summer are coming back out. A montecristo rant on asset-stripping can't be far away. I do remember that our first trip to Arsenal under Cortese ended 1-6...
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BarnetSaint added 08:56 - Dec 4 You're wrong in most of what you write teamcortese and your use of the word "southampton" in the context of how you write leads me to believe that you are not a Saints fan. It was a really battling performance, not 1 player let us down and a bit more composure in front of goal could have seen us nick a win. Oh and mariner the bloke masquerading as a ref was pitiful.

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Consigliere added 09:18 - Dec 4 I can't agree with TeamCortese especially with his comments about Yoshida. I thought he looked pretty composed in front of goal and had a a good game. I know people like to have a scapegoat but he isn't the one. Tadic and Mane were not playing at their best it is true but I assume that they are both carrying minor injuries as there was no doubting their commitment to the cause. We just have to accept that you are going to lose some games - as long as the team goes down fighting there is nothing to complain about - and they did!

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schatfield added 09:23 - Dec 4 i disagree with the rest of you, Teamcortese is the first to speak sense on here, especially around Yoshida (why bring him on when Gardos is miles better). He reminds me of the liability that was Hooiveld. Mayuka is frighteningly bad and has now become fat too. Pelle is badly off form, but we have no other striker able to challenge him. This isnt negative, this is seeing the obvious right in front of you.

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SaintJez added 10:26 - Dec 4 Frustrating again. Like the bad old days, we see Saints offer very little going forward and seem content to just try to hang on for a (very creditable) point only to conceded a late sickener. It's a sign of how far we have come - and how good we are! - that it's genuinely sickening to lose away to Arsenal. Alderweireld was excellent in defensive midfield to be fair to him but we lacked any forward movement or thrust from that point on. How I feel for Harrison Reed. We already had 2 international central midfielders on the pitch. Why oh why oh why doesn't the kid get a game? The situation was made for him to step up and show what he's all about. I'm also convinced that asking Alderweireld play an unnatural game would have gone a long way towards the injury he sustained late on which will haunt us for many weeks to come.

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davidhosey added 10:43 - Dec 4 Agree with saintjez here. I feel the only mistake was not bringing on Reed and leaving Alderweireld in central defence. Moving your best centre back into midfield was always going to be risky and could end up costing us his being missing for weeks. As a club our aim has been to trust our young players no matter who the opposition are. Still I do not think we should be panicking. January not far off and I trust the board to act responsibly !

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VeloSaint added 10:49 - Dec 4 Personally I prefer to have faith in Koeman's judgement of our squad so decisions re not bringing on Gardos and Reed are no doubt the right ones. Seems to be a lack of knowledge over the midfield role Reed plays in as well. Also, it was clear on Sunday that they had pre-planned what to do should the circumstance arise re injuries to defensive midfield, further evidence of the good management at the club. Any club, even the big boys are going to have problems when 2/3 players in the same position get injured, so we're definitely unlucky there and there will need to be a reshuffle tactically I expect to deal with it. Another test for Koeman.

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SaintDownUnder added 11:25 - Dec 4 Forster and Toby were great but for me Big VIC was the best player on the pitch and was immense. The reality is that if Cork and Toby had stayed on the pitch and we weren't forced to play the last 20 with 10 men then we'd have been very likely win the game let alone get a point. Hard to be crictical of Koeman however braking up a settled and effective back 4 hasn't worked (albeit against strong oppostion sides) two games running now so I hope once Toby's fit we can leave him next to Fonte and find some other solution to Central midfield. I thought we played well and fought really well last night, bodes well for a decent season.

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SingaporeSaint added 11:29 - Dec 4 For me - this is 3 games in a row where poor tactics have cost us. Our game is about energy and dominating midfield, being tight at the back and patiently making chances by picking holes and overlaps. The formation versus villa, the last 20 versus city and the mayuka change last night was naive at best.. Throw men forward without control is not the saints way and not the way we have been winning games . Even with 11 on the pitch - why are we having 3 centre forwards on the pitch for the last 10 mins when 2 of them can't keep it. We don't even do this at home against poor sides. Our great defence has been due to one factor above all other - alderweireld . Check the defensive stats when he has been centre back against when he hasn't been. Why we take him out of central defence is beyond me... Surely we put Reed in the middle and wanyama sits.. Agree with the comments above on mayuka and Yoshida. Mane has also had some of the worst moments I have ever seen in a saints shirt. On the positive note wanyama was excellent, long was lively and our full backs and Keeper did well. It was a gutsy display and a real sickener to lose. I truly believe that it should have been avoided.

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HoveSaint added 11:51 - Dec 4 Assuming teamcortese is not a WUM or pseudo skate then his opinion is valid as just that an opinion. I was at the game last night and think that the team played to win as we always have this season, but the lack of real belief seems to have ebbed since the Villa game. One of the reasons for this is that teams we are playing against have done their home work and cut off the supply from Bertrand - through Tadic and Davis to the front guys. One shot on target last night proved that and the Arse midfield did lock us down pretty tight. Add to that the injuries we now have and the next few weeks will be very tough on a limited and very young squad. as for the bashing of Pelle and Maine - sorry dont buy that you can only get results from what is fed to a striker and in the last few games that area has been starved.

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BoondockSaint added 13:23 - Dec 4 The last two games have just underlined the difference massive money makes: you can pay top players to sit on the bench and bring them on late in the game. They don't whinge about not playing as they are on hugh wages and get to ( a phrase I get sick of) "play in Europe". Yes some of RoKo's subs have not performed as well as we would like, but maybe he is giving them a last look before he shifts them out of here to make room for better ones.

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SonicBoom added 13:33 - Dec 4 Arsenal had several players that could go past their man around our box creating crossing and passing opportunities. Unfortunately our players like Tadic and Mane did not so chances were very rare.
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TeamCortese added 17:34 - Dec 4 Firstly I'm NOT a SKATE. I've been supporting Southampton for over 20 years and my own opinions don't have to agree with everyone on this forum to be considered a saints supporter. I would rather streak in public than be associated with the bl**dy SKATES! People need to see things for what they are. The reality is we have 1 point from a possible 9. We're an awesome football club, but like most fans I am not content with resting on our laurels, We've come a long way from the days of Rupert Lowe and administration and I want it to remain that way and also get better. But I can assure you if we're soft on the club during this period then all the hard work done at the beginning of the season will be for nothing. We must make the most of our brilliant position. I'm tired of London and Northern clubs dominating. They haven't got the togetherness and spirit that Southampton has. The atmosphere at the Emirates is lifeless. Why can't it be us?! WE'VE GIVEN THEM ALL OUR TALENT FOR GOD KNOWS HOW MANY YEARS!

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Consigliere added 20:26 - Dec 4 Can I just say that whilst I disagreed with TeamCortese in his analysis I hope he would be the first to confirm that it was done in a respectful way. He is entitled to his opinion, honestly given. I would heartily disapprove of anyone commenting on this site with the use of insulting language. Let us keep this debate civilised. Saints supporters have class - witness the applause for AOC when he left the field of play yesterday.

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BaselSaint added 10:37 - Dec 5 teamcortese - highly suspicious comments. Agent provocateur? plastic fan?
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