Barclays Premier League

FT: SOUTHAMPTON 1 ARSENAL 1

A lacklustre Arsenal side drop two points and see their run of four successive wins come to an end as they are held to a draw by Southampton. In all honesty, a point was the most Arsene Wenger's men deserved for a performance lacking any cohesion and very little threat in the attacking third of the field. Nigel Adkins could have asked no more from his side. From the first minute to the last they hustled Arsenal out of their stride with unstinting effort and total belief in their gameplan and ability to get a result. Chances were few and far between. Southampton took the lead on 34 minutes when a mistake from Bacary Sagna allowed Jason Puncheon to tee up Gaston Ramirez who scored with a well-struck shot. We had expected big things from Theo Walcott on his return to St Mary's, but all he left with was a fortuitous assist on the Gunners leveller four minutes before the interval as his free-kick was misdirected into his own net by Guly Do Prado. Arsene Wenger brought on Olivier Giroud in the second half, but it made little difference as too many of his creative players endured an off day. For Saints, the point is enough to lift them above Wigan and out of the relegation zone.

DESPERATE CLEARANCE

Arsenal create space down the left, but Gibbs fails to pick someone out and Yoshida makes a desperate clearance.

PUNCHEON DENIED

Puncheon feints to shoot with his left foot and instead transfers the ball to his right to create space in the box. The effort is again powerful, but right at Szczesny, who parries to safety.

SOUTHAMPTON BOOKING

De Ridder's first contribution is to haul down Sagna and collect a yellow card.

EASY FOR SZCZESNY

Puncheon shoots from distance, but it is straight at Szczesny and the Arsenal stopper is down to make the save.

WIDE FROM GERVINHO

Gervinho receives the ball in space on the left and cuts in to the edge of the area. It is a promising position, but he screws a right-footed shot wide.

SOUTHAMPTON SUBSTITUTION

The final Saints switch sees Steve De Ridder come on for Do Prado.

ARTETA FIRES WIDE

Walcott's cross is cleared by Davis to Arteta, whose thunderous shot whistles past the upright. That was an all-too-rare Arsenal threat.

ARSENAL SUBSTITUTION

Ramirez is replaced by James Ward-Prowse for Southampton. He's another teenage graduate of the Saints academy.

CHANGES ALL ROUND

Southampton take off Lambert and replace him with Jay Rodriguez. Arsenal replace Oxlade-Chamberlain and Cazorla with Gervinho and Aaron Ramsey.

GOAL DISALLOWED

Ramirez has the ball in the net, but the goal is disallowed. It could have been for a push, but if the flag went up for offside it's palpably the wrong decision.

WALCOTT SHOT SAVED

Giroud plays a first-time pass into the feet of Walcott, whose low drive from a narrow angle is well struck, but straight at Boruc.

EASY FOR SZCZESNY

Ramirez delivers a free-kick from deep into the Arsenal area and Szczesny makes a routine save look more difficult than it should have been. We're halfway through the second half and this game has not got a whole lot better.

POOR FINISH FROM PUNCHEON

Davis tees up Puncheon on the right side of the box, but the effort with his weaker foot is into the side-netting.

SOUTHAMPTON BOOKING

Having just bigged up Schneiderlein, he makes a poor tackle on Cazorla and is shown the game's first yellow card.

SLIP FROM LAMBERT

Schneiderlein has been one of Southampton's outstanding performers this evening. He makes ground to collect a pass forward and although Szczesny spills the cross from the right, Lambert slips at the vital moment.

ARSENAL SUBSTITUTION

Here comes the change from Wenger. On comes Giroud for Podolski. Oxlade-Chamberlain goes to the left and Walcott to the right.

WALCOTT WELL POLICED

Walcott receives the ball in space, but is crowded out as he attempts a shot.

FINE SAVES FROM SZCZESNY

Do Prado is eager to make amends for his earlier own goal. The Brazilian turns on to his right foot and strikes a shot that is tipped wide of goal by Szczesny, though the effort appeared to be going to hit the outside of the post. From the corner, the Arsenal goalkeeper makes a good reaction stop to keep out a ricochet off Sagna.

TIME TO FRESHEN THINGS UP

Arsene Wenger really needs to change things up here. Oxlade-Chamberlain has been very poor indeed (though he's not the only one). Take him off, play Giroud through the middle and move Walcott further to the right so that he sees more of the ball and can see what Southampton's defence is like when he runs at them at pace.

A NOSE FOR THE ACTION

Wilshere catches an accidental boot to the nose from Ramirez and goes down again. He will be fine after treatment.

POINTS IN THE BALANCE

There are two questions that need to be answered in this second half. Can Southampton work as hard as they did in the first 45 minutes? Can Arsenal be as poor as they were in the opening period? If the answer to both questions is yes then the home side are going to claim a point at the very least.

LIVING DANGEROUSLY

Arsenal are hesitant again in defence. Puncheon lifts the ball into the area and Lambert's knockdown just fails to find one of the many Southampton players in the box.

HERE WE GO AGAIN

Southampton get the second half under way.

HT: SOUTHAMPTON 1 ARSENAL 1

Saints will feel they have done enough to deserve to be in front at the break, but they were pegged back four minutes before the interval by an unfortunate own goal by Guly Do Prado. The luckless forward saw his effort to clear a Theo Walcott free-kick end in disaster, as he found the corner of his own net. Nigel Adkins' men have been excellent in the first half, closing down and harrying at every opportunity. Their goal came after some dire defending from Bacary Sagna, Gaston Ramirez being gifted a 34th-minute opener. It's been a disappointing game so far.

SAVED BY LINESMAN'S FLAG

Walcott has the ball in the net, but the flag was already up for offside.

GOAL DETAILS

It's a goal out of nothing for the Gunners. Walcott dropped in a free-kick from the left and under no pressure, Do Prado snaked out a leg and saw the ball divert off his foot into the corner. That's a gift that visitors do not deserve.

GOAL: SOUTHAMPTON 1 ARSENAL 1

Arsenal are level, it's an own goal by Do Prado.

WALCOTT KEPT IN CHECK

If you have joined this commentary late, Theo Walcott is playing. The England man must have had half a dozen touches maximum so far, and his fellow former Saint Oxlade-Chamberlain has been similarly quiet.

GOAL DETAILS

It's a real disaster of a goal from Arsenal's perspective. They had chances to clear, but Bacary Sagna played the ball across his own box to Puncheon. Ramirez collected on the edge of the area and fired right-footed beyond Szczesny.

GOAL: SOUTHAMPTON 1 ARSENAL 0

Gaston Ramirez gives Southampton the lead.

WENGER FAR FROM HAPPY

Arsene Wenger is cutting a very disappointed figure on the sidelines. It's easy to understand why, as his side have been well below average in this first half-hour.

QUIZ ANSWER

Earlier we asked you to name the two players to be dismissed the last time these sides met at St Mary's. David Prutton saw red for Saints and Arsenal's Robin van Persie also got his marching orders.

IT'S QUIZ TIME

We threatened in the preview we would ask you this question, so no excuses for not sneakily looking up the answer on the internet beforehand and then showing off to your mates that you really know your football. The last time these two sides met in the league at St Mary's each had a player sent off. Name them both. Answer in a few minutes.

PRESSING GAME FROM SAINTS

The home side are pushing high up the pitch, playing a pressing game at every opportunity, much like Stoke and Everton. Arsenal's midfielders don't like the attention, they have endured a dreadful last ten minutes which has seen them give the ball away on numerous occasions.

WILSHERE NEEDS TREATMENT

Jack Wilshere goes down after catching a knee to a rather painful part of his anatomy from Gaston Ramirez. Mr Probert very generously gives a foul for what was an accidental collision.

PLAYING FOR KEEPS

If you are a newly-promoted club looking to survive at this level, a reliable goalkeeper is a must. Having seen the display from Kelvin Davies at Stoke on Saturday and the spills from Artur Boruc in the early going, it looks as though the Saints are lacking in that department.

GETING SHIRTY

Saints are all in red today, with a thin Bjorn Borg-style white pinstripe running down the shirt. Arsenal are in their change strip of blue and black hoops and black shorts.

PODOLSKI SHOT BLOCKED

An incisive pass from Wilshere looks to have freed Podolski, but the German's shot is blocked by a defender. The home side have started brightly here and are Arsenal's equals at the moment in terms of work-rate and attacking threat.

SAINTS LOOKING LIVELY

Ramirez robs Wilshere in midfield, but after making inroads into the Arsenal half misplaces the final pass that could have set Lambert in on goal.

PENALTY CLAIMS

Yoshida goes down in the box after being kicked in the rear by Vermaelen. The Arsenal man could easily have been penalised on another day, but Mr Probert says no spot kick.

BORUC DROPS IT AGAIN

Boruc makes another mess of a cross from the right and is extremely lucky to be saved by his defence again

DODGY GOALKEEPER

Cazorla tries a shot from distance which takes a nasty deflection off a Saints defender and loops worryingly close to the post. Boruc then drops a routine corner.

CLASH OF HEADS

A clash of heads between Bacary Sagna and Steven Davis leaves both players groggy for a moment, but neither asks for treatment.

CONFIDENCE BOOST FOR SHAW

Oxlade-Chamberlain has an early run down the right, but the highly-rated Luke Shaw gets in a well-timed tackle.

HERE WE GO

Arsenal kick off, attacking the goal to our right.

TEAM NEWS

Southampton make three changes from the side that drew at Stoke, with Boruc, Davis and Ramirez replacing Davies, Hooiveld and Rodriguez. Arsene Wenger names the same side that thrashed Newcastle.

TODAY'S TEAMS

Southampton: Boruc, Cork, Yoshida, Fonte, Shaw, Puncheon, Steven Davis, Schneiderlin, Ramirez, Lambert, Do Prado. Subs: Kelvin Davis, Hooiveld, Rodriguez, Ward-Prowse, Richardson, Mayuka, De Ridder. Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Arteta, Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla, Podolski, Walcott. Subs: Martinez, Mertesacker, Rosicky, Giroud, Ramsey, Coquelin, Gervinho. Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)

PREVIEW

The team with one of the leakiest defences in the Premier League welcomes the side that scored seven in their last outing. Be afraid, Southampton fans, be very afraid. The Gunners were simply unstoppable in their 7-3 mauling of Newcastle on Saturday and it will have not gone unnoticed by Saints supporters that the wrecker-in-chief that day with a hat-trick was former Southampton favourite Theo Walcott. The England player is revelling in the new central role he has been handed in recent weeks and the mobility of Walcott and the men around him are going to make this a most testing evening for the home defence. Saints were hammered 6-1 at the Emirates earlier in the season, and despite being back in the relegation zone they have proved since that they can exist at this level. But for the goal of the season from Cameron Jerome, Nigel Adkins' side would have done what no other club had managed this season and come away with a win from the Britannia Stadium. While the visitors will start as red-hot favourites, a far safer bet is that this will be a thrilling contest with plenty of goals, especially in the light of some of the inept defending on display from the Gunners last time out. Today's game kicks off at 1730GMT, so join us around 30 minutes beforehand when we should have the confirmed team news, which will be followed by a match commentary.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

How good a side would Southampton be if they had managed to keep hold of Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gareth Bale? The first two of that formidable trio return to their former stamping ground today and for Oxlade-Chamberlain it will be the first time he has experienced St Mary's as a visiting player following a £15 million move to north London. “I think he will get a fantastic reception,” Saints boss Nigel Adkins said. “He is one of the players that came through our system. We are excited watching him played. We'd love him to still be at Southampton, but he is an Arsenal player now and an England international.” Saints should also beware Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski if both play, as both are likely to do damage. Much of the home side's hopes will be pinned on Rickie Lambert, whose eight goals have proved he can find the net at this level. Lambert is an unselfish player who works tirelessly for the team and can often be found doing the hard graft out on the flanks when perhaps he could do more good putting defenders under pressure with his aerial prowess in the box.

HEAD TO HEAD

Arsenal have the better head-to-head record in league meetings between the sides with 36 wins to 16 by Southampton and 19 games being drawn. At St Mary's and its predecessors, it is 14 wins apiece, with a further seven meetings ending up all square. The last meeting at St Mary's took place in Dec. 2005 and ended in a 1-1 draw, Freddie Ljungberg scoring for Arsenal and Peter Crouch levelling for the home side. Two players were also sent off in that match, so get your thinking caps on because we will be asking you who they were during the course of today's commentary. Arsenal thrashed Southampton at the Emirates earlier in the season, with Gervinho scoring twice and Saints contributing to their own downfall with own goals from Joos Hooiveld and Nathanial Clyne.

FORM GUIDE

Southampton sit in 18th place, with 17 points from 19 games, just one point from safety. They have won just one of their last six, a 1-0 home triumph over fellow strugglers Reading on Dec. 8. Arsenal started the day in fifth with 33 points, three points behind Spurs but with a game in hand. The Gunners have won their last four in a row, scoring 17 goals in the process.

EARLY TEAM NEWS

Southampton will again be without captain Adam Lallana, who is sidelined with a knee injury and a knee complaint is also likely to rule out defender Nathaniel Clyne. Arsenal should have central defender Per Mertesacker available after injury and Tomas Rosicky might also get a rare start if Arsene Wenger decides to rotate his squad. Defender Andre Santos (stomach muscle) and midfielder Abou Diaby (thigh) are expected to start training again this week.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE

Taking charge of today's game is Lee Probert, who was appointed to the Select Group Referees List in 2007. In terms of cards-per-game the Gloucestershire official was one of the most lenient in the top flight last season, producing just 44 yellow cards and four red cards in 22 matches. Probert has refereed 12 Premier League games this season, administering 36 cautions and dismissing one player, Fulham's Brede Hangeland, in the match with Sunderland at Craven Cottage. His assistants today are Ron Ganfield and Matthew Wilkes, while Mike Jones is the fourth official.