The Saints shocked the home faithful by going ahead in the 55th minute, but Arsenal equalised quickly through a powerful Kai Havertz strike.
Gabriel Martinelli made it 2-1 in the Gunners favour after a brilliant side-footed volley. Bukayo Saka put the game to bed with the third goal before stoppage time.
Saka was undoubtedly the stand-out performer. He not only scored, but also created the first two goals.
He was the man of the match. There were several other stand-out performers, but we were particularly impressed with Thomas Partey’s performance from right-back.
The Ghanaian started in the makeshift role against the Saints in the absence of Ben White and Jurrien Timber. Takehiro Tomiyasu only came on as a late substitute.
Partey had a tough outing from the same position versus Fulham last term, but he stood out this time around, winning 100% of his ground duels and 100% of his tackles.
The £45 million signing had 95 touches with 92% accurate passes. Partey does not possess the overlapping skills of Timber or White, but did his job credibly.
The 31-year-old’s current deal with Arsenal expires at the end of the season and as things stand, there have been no negotiations over a possible contract extension.
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