Saints surprise Gunners

Southampton 3 Arsenal 2

At the end of a frenetic November afternoon on the South Coast Arsenal remained top of the Premiership by a single point.

That, and Liverpool’s surprise 3-2 defeat at Fulham, turned out to be the only consolation for the champions’ manager Arsene Wenger.

He saw his team lose their heads and the match as well as the opportunity to put clear daylight between themselves and the chasing pack.

Sol Campbell’s 57th-minute red card was one of the main turning points of a match which seemed to produce an entire catalogue of them.

The first one seemed to be Dennis Bergkamp’s delicious half volley to put Arsenal ahead on 37 minutes from a precise Sylvain Wiltord cross which was the product of a sweeping silky move.

But this, the Dutchman’s first league goal of the campaign, was to be only a taster for the feast of drama yet to come.

Saints were given the run-around for the first 20 minutes even though David Seaman needed to make a marvellous save from Matthew Oakley but they came alive in first half stoppage time.

That was when Oakley tapped a short free kick, for Campbell’s foul on Ecuador striker Agustin Delgado, and Beattie struck a fizzing low 25-yard drive for a spectacular equaliser.

And although it was Beattie who went on to complete a double from the penalty spot, it was Delgado and Campbell who became the chief characters in this eventful match.

Delgado arrived at Southampton more than a year ago but this was his first Premiership start following knee trouble and he looked like he was still coming to terms with the occasion when lumbering into the box after a slip by Arsenal’s French defender Pascal Cygan.

Before he could do anything, though, Campbell thundered on to the scene and took away the South American’s legs with a clattering tackle from behind. Referee Paul Durkin had no hesitation brandishing the red card - a 47th for Arsenal during Wenger’s reign and a third this season.

Wenger must have seen this one and there could be no real dispute about the decision.

Neither was there about Beattie’s clinical despatch of the spot kick - his eighth goal in seven games and his first against Arsenal in 10 attempts.

Yet he was almost upstaged 10 minutes later when Delgado bundled home at the far post the third goal which was to eventually parcel up the points for his team.

Ironically, Arsenal had peppered the entire match with sweet, smooth football but their abrasive edge cost them dearly once more and in the end Robert Pires, appearing as a 72nd minute substitute for Bergkamp, could only count a consolation strike nine minutes from the final whistle.

It might have been different had Thierry Henry buried at least one of three golden chances he was offered. Twice, though, he struck goalkeeper Antti Niemi with his shot having headed an earlier opportunity over the bar.

Henry again proved an enigma, a brilliant player who sometimes finishes like a schoolboy.

And his captain Patrick Vieira must have been wondering how he also did not cap a splendid performance with a goal.

At 2-1 down he raced clear on to Henry’s low cross only to shoot straight at Niemi. The rebound spiralled into the air for Vieira to put in a header but the goalkeeper blocked that one too as well as the Arsenal captain’s follow-up shot.

To be fair Southampton who are still unbeaten at St Mary’s since April should have wrapped things up with a Beattie hat-trick but the striker allowed Seaman a smothering save when clear in the closing minutes.

Saints however will not dwell on that. It was against them that Arsenal began a scoring spree in the Premiership from May last year until the present day - 54 matches.

But it was Southampton who came away with the glory again this time.