At this point the Saints don’t need any sympathy for the way they’re playing. The exodus hangover is over. In fact, which former Soton players apart from Calum Chambers is having a good time at their new club? Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana are still getting their feet set at Liverpool, Dejan Lovren is getting some stick for some dreadful sub optimal performances. Luke Shaw is not even a match old at Man Utd with his injury. As a recent convert to the English league looking for a side to follow, Soton would come highly recommended. Ronald Koeman seems to have managed in a short space of time, the best out of all his new signings and integrated them seamlessly with the older ones. The standouts were an electric Seydou Mane, Graziano Pelle, and Dusan Tadic.

If there was a 30 point Zagat survey of football performances, at this point, Soton would score 26 on results, 26 on style, 26 on substance, and 26 on cost. Arsenal would score 21 on results, 26 on style, 20 on substance, 17 on cost (those ticket prices!). And so, a bright eyed and bushy tailed Saints met the Gunners at the Emirates and came back from Alexis Sanchez brilliant free kick to win, 2-1 through a Dusan Tadic penalty and a Nathaniel Clyne 30 yard screamer David Ospina could do very little about. You just can’t legislate against goals like that.

This was not a bad Arsenal performance from their second string especially at the defensive end. Isaac Hayden had a commanding performance at the heart of defense. Hector Bellerin looked lively down the right. Abou Diaby was noticeably rusty and harried endlessly by Mane. On the attacking front, Joel Campbell and Lukas Podolski were unexceptional. Tomas Rosicky was guilty of fouling Mane which led to the Tadic penalty and thereafter lapsed into anonymity. There were chances and Sanchez came close to equalizing in the second half but his instinctive finish went straight to Fraser Foster.

The highlights: