Southampton threw away two points against ten-man Arsenal at the Emirates, but Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl was not too disappointed with a 1-1 draw, as he told the club’s official website.
When Gabriel Magalhaes was shown a second yellow card moments into the second-half, just three days after Granit Xhaka stormed down the tunnel in disgrace against Burnley, Mikel Arteta must have feared the worst.
But, thanks to a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equaliser and some wasteful Southampton finishing, Arsenal managed to avoid what would have been a record-breaking fifth successive home defeat.
The Gunners skipper scored his first goal from open play in 12 Premier League matches, cancelling out a brilliant chipped effort from one-time Arsenal favourite Theo Walcott early in the second half.
You would be forgiven for assuming Hasenhuttl was throwing tea cups at the walls at full-time, with Southampton missing the chance to go second in the table and ahead of Tottenham.
Instead, the former RB Leipzig boss was happy to take the draw after surviving a late scare against a ten-man Arsenal side who hit the bar in stoppage time via a Rob Holding header.
“Today, it’s okay for me to take the point,” the Austrian said.
“I think we did a very good first half, but it was clear in the second half that the opponent fights back. They have so much quality.
“The equaliser was a good move, in the end we take the point and that’s important for us. We know we are in a fantastic position in the table now.”
Aubameyang’s striker was a trademark effort, curled home with his trusty right boot.
And the Gabonese superstar was indebted to a slaloming run from Bukayo Saka and a gorgeous first-time through ball from Eddie Nketiah as his nightmare run in front of goal came to an end.
“We could score, Reddie’s chance was a little bit unlucky. We tried to take that last risk but in the end we couldn’t make it. Every point we take, we’ll need come the end of the season.
“Theo is showing every week how important he is for us. It’s good to have him here. He does it well in the moment.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
