Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Jamie Redknapp singles out Arsenal player as Mikel Arteta's men slip up at Southampton
Arsenal drew 1-1 away to Southampton but remain top of the Premier League table.
Southampton v Arsenal: Pictures
One Arsenal player was singled out by former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp as the Gunners drew 1-1 away to Southampton on Sunday. Granit Xhaka scored the opening goal of the game as he latched onto Ben White's cross, but Mikel Arteta's side were pinned back as Stuart Armstrong equalised in the second half as the visitors drew for the first time in the Premier League this season.
Armstrong finished a good move from the hosts, but Redknapp singled out White for his part in the goal. "We were saying with [William] Saliba and Gabriel as the two centre-backs, Ben White gets drawn across and he doesn’t know whether to run across," Redknapp told Sky Sports.
"He comes across and there he’s a centre-back, you’ve got to stay as a centre-back, he sees him too late and by that time it’s a goal. Southampton deserved it. Showed great character, under a lot of pressure, I thought they were impressive in the second half and deserved it."
It was Armstrong's first league goal of the season as the Saints picked up a vital point but Arsenal were unable to retain their four-point gap over second-placed Manchester City in the table after Pep Guardiola's side defeated Brighton 3-1 on Saturday.
JUST IN: Chelsea wonderkid Omari Hutchinson sends new message to Graham Potter as fans eye debut
Redknapp was impressed with White going forward, however, as the centre-back has played at right-back this season but he has started to grow into the role and effect the game in forward phases as well as defensively. "They played some great stuff," Redknapp added.
"White and [Bukayo] Saka linking up, Xhaka picking up positions in good areas. It’s a great finish, great movement and it happened time and time again, could it be two or three? But they ran out, seemed to be a bit of a reality check for them."
DON'T MISS
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang torn to shreds over leaked Mikel Arteta comments
Arsenal chief Edu has last laugh on £62.8m transfer deal after unanswered phone calls
Chelsea want signature of first Graham Potter signing 'before World Cup' to avoid hijack
Former Spurs striker Les Ferdinand, on the panel with Redknapp, described the game as "unusual" for the Gunners who have been ruthless in the league this season, with their only previous blemish this campaign being a 3-1 defeat away to Manchester United last month.
"[It was] Unusual for Arsenal, they seemed to run out of ideas," Ferdinand said. "Then they started to get in the game and put Arsenal under pressure. At the end you were thinking Southampton were going to win the game.
"It was good play to pick it up from the goalkeeper, great ball in, great run from Armstrong, great ball, great finish. From then on, you thought Southampton were going to go on and win."