Martin Odegaard strikes late as Arsenal finish with defeat of Saints
A 90th-minute Martin Odegaard goal settled a low-key end of season match with so little on the line, the most interesting action for both sets of supporters took place in the director's box.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, serving a touchline ban, saw out the season sitting alongside Arsenal co-chairman Josh Kroenke.
A good chance to drop some transfer hints to the American who ultimately hold the keys to the spending power of a club once known as the Bank of England club.
That reference dates back to the 1930s when Arsenal dominated the game league and out spent their rivals on and off the pitch. How Arsenal yearn to be able to say that again.
For already relegated rock bottom Southampton, their supporters were in good voice too. They taunted arch rivals Portsmouth ahead of renewing their derby days in the Championship season.
Newly appointed manager Will Still was confirmed before kick-off and watched on not far from Arteta. He now starts a three-year contract and said: 'We have a great opportunity to do something special.
'The project that has been laid out to me is very impressive and, all together, I believe we can build a clear identity and a very positive future for the team.'
Belgium-born Still, 32, has been managing on a budget at French side Lens, where he has had to sell many key players.
One of his first tasks at Southampton will be to recruit a new goalkeeper. Former Arsenal NO.1 Aaron Ramsdale, who had an excellent match, was named captain on his last appearance for the side with a number of clubs, including Aston Villa, West Ham and Leeds, all monitoring his availability.
Another player on the move is Raheem Sterling, playing the final game of his less-than-successful loan move from Chelsea to Arsenal. 'Sterling scores, we're on the p*ss' sang the demob happy travelling Arsenal fans who never had any need to move towards the bar.
Another starting his last match for the club was Celtic-bound Scotland defender Kieran Tierney, who was drafted in at centre back ahead of the crocked William Saliba.
And he showed his shot shy team-mates how to do it when he put Arsenal in front when he converted a low 43rd minute cross from Ben White with a side-footed right foot volley from six yards out. 'One Kieran Tierney' was sung in his honour as the Arsenal players lifted him aloft in celebration.
The lively Kamaldeen Sulemana shot into the side-netting to give Southampton hope of a comeback going into half-time. And they did just that by equalising with a Ross Stewart header from a 57th minute corner.
Arteta, who had started with a second string line-up, sent on some of his star names for the final 15 minutes or so and had only a disallowed Bukayo Saka 'goal' to show for it.
That was until substitute Odeghaard weaved some magic into a dribble on the edge of the area and beat his furious former team-mate Ramsdale with a drilled low left foot shot that has been badly missing from his game in recent months.
Saka was left hobbling at the end and might now miss forthcoming international duty with time to get fit before Arsenal's pre-season tour of Asia in July.
Southampton: Ramsdale 8; Sugawara 6, Wood 6, Taylor 6, Welington 6; Downes 6, Ugochukwu 6, Fernandes 6; Robinson 6 (Smallbone 79), Kamaldeen 7 (Archer 79), Stewart 6 (Onuachu 70). Subs: McCarthy, Bree, Manning, Kayi Sanda, Moore, Aribo.
Arsenal: Raya 6, White 6, Kiwior 6, Tierney 8 (Trossard 63), Zinchenko 6 (Lewis-Skelly 70), Partey 6, Rice 6, Nwaneri 6 (Odegaard 75), Sterling 4 (Saka 63), Merino 6, Martinelli 6 (Havertz 71). Subs: Neto, Jorginho, Henry-Francis, Kabia.
Ref: Darren Bond 5 Att: 31,289
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
25 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Mikel Arteta asked Arsenal stars to vote for 2025-26 club captain… with a clear winner ‘by 100 miles'
GET OUT THE VOTE Mikel Arteta asked Arsenal stars to vote for 2025-26 club captain… with a clear winner 'by 100 miles' MARTIN ODEGAARD was the easy winner of a player vote over who should captain Arsenal this season. Manager Mikel Arteta revealed the poll ahead of Sunday's Premier League opener away at Arsenal. 3 Martin Odegaard has received a surprise backing from his teammates ahead of the new season Credit: EPA 3 There had been calls from outside to hand Declan Rice the captain's armband this season Credit: EPA Advertisement 3 There has been an overwhelming backing for the Arsenal captain that even surprised his boss Credit: Reuters And the decision came 24 hours after former captain Tony Adams urged Odegaard to strip him of the captaincy and award the skipper's armband to Declan Rice. Asked about Adams' comments, Arteta said: 'Well my opinion is clear and it's not just my opinion, it's all the staff and especially the players. 'I asked them to vote for the captain and I got the result yesterday and by a mile away, by a big, big 100 miles, everybody chose the same person, which was Martin Odegaard. Advertisement 'It is the most clear sign that you can have. It's how they feel about who has to be their captain to defend, improve and win the matches that we want to win. So I think there's no question about that. 'We all see things differently and if we're going to talk about leadership and the kind of leaders, we can be here for hours. So, at the end what matters the most is how these guys feel about who needs to lead them, how they feel comfortable, who is going to push them, who is going to give them support when it's happening. 'Basically, who do you want to represent the club and the team when we go out there and face any opposition? That's the key.' Arteta goes into Sunday's game knowing the pressure is on his team. Advertisement And he also backed new arrival Viktor Gyokeres to enjoy a flying start at his new club after arriving from Sporting Lisbon. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK He said: 'We have to understand the player and expose the player to the conditions that he can fulfil his incredible potential. That's going to be the key and the good thing is that there have been many players, many strikers, who have come from different leagues and have come to the Premier League and been successful. And it's for us creating the right context for Viktor to do what he does the best, which is to score goals. 'He's getting better and better every day. He's normally a really fit player. It's true that he hasn't trained so much with us. He had those two moments in games when he participated and the feeling was very good. So let's see what we do on Sunday.' How Man Utd v Arsenal will be decided by 'Flying-V' attack battle Apart from long-term absentee Gabriel Jesus, Arteta does not have any major issues. Leandro Trossard could return to training tomorrow after a stint on the sidelines. Advertisement Asked whether he is looking forward to the season, Arteta said: 'The more I spend time with the players and the staff, the more reason they give me to come every single day with a big smile on my face, with a lot of energy. I'm very enthusiastic about what we do. I feel very, very privileged. 'You keep digging, digging, digging and you have to be digging because one day the gold is going to be there.'
Irish Independent
26 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Mikel Arteta launches stout defence of Martin Odegaard's Arsenal captaincy after Tony Adams' criticism at Indo Sport event
Press Association Mikel Arteta insists there is 'no question' Martin Odegaard still deserves to captain Arsenal after former skipper Tony Adams called for the Norwegian to be stripped of the armband. Adams, speaking at an Irish Independent Indo Sport live podcast in Dublin, demanded the Gunners boss make the change ahead of the new campaign, arguing 'proper player' Declan Rice was the man for the job. Arteta vehemently disagreed with that assessment, confirming Odegaard has the backing of everyone at the club. 'My opinion is clear,' said Arteta, 'and it's not just my opinion. It's all the staff and especially the players. 'I asked them to vote (for) the captain and I got the results yesterday. By a mile, by a big, big, by 100 miles, everybody chose the same person, Martin Odegaard, which is the most clear sign that you can have. 'It's how they feel about who has to be their captain, to defend, to improve, and win the matches that we want to win, so I think there is no question about that.' We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Adams, quoted in the Irish Independent, said: 'Every now and again as a manager, you have to put someone who reflects you, who reflects the football club, that you think can actually take you to the next level. 'You've got someone in there who's going to play every game all season, that's going to encourage people to come in and lay the foundations of a title-winning team. 'Declan Rice can do that, Odegaard can't. Come on Arteta, make him captain. I think he is better than Arteta. I think he's a winner. As a man, he is a proper player.' Arteta said he could talk about leadership 'for hours', but asked to summarise Odegaard's qualifications, replied: 'What matters the most is how these guys feel about who needs to lead them, how they feel comfortable, who is going to push them, who is going to give them support when it's happening.' Arsenal kick off their Premier League campaign with a trip to Manchester United, then host newly promoted Leeds before a difficult stretch that will see them play Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Newcastle. ADVERTISEMENT That run, agreed Arteta, could be the ideal litmus test for their capacity for winning the title this season. He said: 'Yes, especially (with) the consistency that we showed in the last three years, and now the margins, we know how small they are. We know that the competition has increased the level with recruitment, with another year together.' We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Arteta confirmed summer signings Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi will be fit to play on Sunday, and is optimistic Leandro Trossard will also be available. And while Arteta joked 'too many' Premier League teams have a legitimate shot at lifting the trophy, some he even suspects will 'surprise everybody', he remains more determined than ever to claim the silverware that has so far eluded him. He added: 'You keep digging, digging, digging, and you have to be digging because one day the gold is going to be there. 'You have the consistency, but now we have to do it in a season, to end with more points than any other team. That's the objective.'
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Arteta hits back at Adams and insists Odegaard deserves to be Arsenal captain 'by a mile'
Mikel Arteta insists there is "no question" Martin Odegaard still deserves to captain Arsenal after former skipper Tony Adams called for the Norwegian to be stripped of the armband. Adams demanded the Gunners boss make the change ahead of the new campaign, arguing "proper player" Declan Rice was the man for the job. Arteta vehemently disagreed with that assessment, confirming Odegaard has the backing of everyone at the club. "My opinion is clear," said Arteta, "and it's not just my opinion. It's all the staff and especially the players. "I asked them to vote (for) the captain and I got the results yesterday. By a mile, by a big, big, by 100 miles, everybody chose the same person, Martin Odegaard, which is the most clear sign that you can have. "It's how they feel about who has to be their captain, to defend, to improve, and win the matches that we want to win, so I think there is no question about that." Adams, speaking at an Irish Independent Sport event in Dublin, said: "Every now and again as a manager, you have to put someone who reflects you, who reflects the football club, that you think can actually take you to the next level. "You've got someone in there who's going to play every game all season, that's going to encourage people to come in and lay the foundations of a title-winning team. "Declan Rice can do that, Odegaard can't. Come on Arteta, make him captain. I think he is better than Arteta. I think he's a winner. As a man, he is a proper player." Arteta said he could talk about leadership "for hours", but asked to summarise Odegaard's qualifications, replied: "What matters the most is how these guys feel about who needs to lead them, how they feel comfortable, who is going to push them, who is going to give them support when it's happening." Arsenal kick off their Premier League campaign with a trip to Manchester United, then host newly promoted Leeds before a difficult stretch that will see them play Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Newcastle. That run, agreed Arteta, could be the ideal litmus test for their capacity for winning the title this season. He said: "Yes, especially (with) the consistency that we showed in the last three years, and now the margins, we know how small they are. We know that the competition has increased the level with recruitment, with another year together." Arteta confirmed summer signings Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi will be fit to play on Sunday, and is optimistic Leandro Trossard will also be available. And while Arteta joked "too many" Premier League teams have a legitimate shot at lifting the trophy, some he even suspects will "surprise everybody", he remains more determined than ever to claim the silverware that has so far eluded him. He added: "You keep digging, digging, digging, and you have to be digging because one day the gold is going to be there. "You have the consistency, but now we have to do it in a season, to end with more points than any other team. That's the objective."
