Chapter 141 - Arsenal (2)

In the 28th minute, Arsenal got another chance. Kieran Gibbs and Theo Walcott worked together on the left and broke down the Southampton defense. Gibbs sent a cut-back bait into the middle of the penalty box. Alex Oxlade-chamberlain received the pass and shot the ball hardly into the right corner of the goalpost.

Dean Smith ran to the right and smacked the ball. The ball was thrown forward. Rudolf grabbed the ball and gave the ball to Ben Carter. Welbeck quickly knocked Carter down. The foul he did was breaking Southampton's counter-attack.

Ben Carter sent the ball back into the field. Orlando received the ball then gave it to Hilton. Podolski went up and pressed Hilton. Hilton passed the ball to Okhalo. Okhalo then kicked the ball to the right. Freddy received the ball and passed Walcott with ease. The right-back was crossed the halfway line and kicked the ball to Kazuki.

Kazuki adjusted his position and sent a pass at Rustan. Rustan ran quickly he passed Kieran Gibbs and stabbed into the penalty box. Vermaelen moved to close the space for Rustan to run. Rustan stopped his run and gave a pass to Orlando.

Orlando sent a flat pass to Kazuki. Kazuki took the first time kick towards the Arsenal net. Szczency flew to the left and punched the ball hard. The ball went to the left of the field, Wright-Phillips snatched the ball before Jenkinson got it. Then he sent a long pass into the middle of the penalty box.

Kazuki got the pass and passed it to Osmund as he was in a bad position to shoot. Osmund got Kazuki's pass, then he kicked the ball towards the Arsenal goal. This time, Szczesny was late in reacting so the ball went smoothly into the Arsenal's net.

"Goaaaall! Southampton managed to break into the Arsenal goalpost. Osmund didn't waste a pass from Kazuki. Southampton lead by one goal over Arsenal."

St Mary's Stadium rumbled loudly when the goal was created. Southampton fans celebrated the goal with the players. In this peaceful Christmas atmosphere it would be even more beautiful if Southampton won against Arsenal. Meanwhile, the game resumed after Southampton's players finished celebrating a goal.

In the 33rd minute, Mikel Arteta snatched the ball from Kazuki's feet he then sent a pass to Alex Oxlade-chamberlain. Alex received the ball and gave it to Santi Cazorla. Cazorla tricked Rudolf with his moves, then he crossed for Theo Walcott.

Walcott penetrated into the penalty box. He then sent the ball to the right of the Southampton penalty box. Welbeck received the ball from Walcott. He unleashed a powerful shot. But his shot was blocked by Hilton's foot. The ball bounced to the left side of the Southampton defense. Ben Carter snatched the ball and sent it far forward.

Wright-Phillips received the ball. His position was now in the middle of replacing Kazuki. He then adjusted his position and released a long pass into Osmund's left side for a duel with Jenkinson. He fought physically. Osmund almost got past Jenkinson but Jenkinson knocked him out.

Southampton get a free kick near the Arsenal penalty box. Kazuki again trusted to take a free kick. The referee blew his whistle loudly. Kazuki walked slowly and sent a mighty shot that split the wind. The shot was like a rocket that glided to the top right corner of the goalpost. Unfortunately, the ball hit the post and bounced off the field.

In the 39th minute, Southampton managed to get a golden opportunity. Freddy cut Kieran Gibbs' pass to Theo Walcott. He then sent a pass to Orlando. Orlando moved back and lure Alex Oxlade-chamberlain forward. At that moment Freddy moved past Alex Oxlade-chamberlain. Orlando immediately sent ball to Freddy.

Freddy received the ball and launched a flat pass to the right. Rustan faced off against Kieran Gibbs. He pushed the ball to the right then suddenly changed the ball direction to be vertical forward. He accelerated his run and sent a long pass into the middle of the penalty box.

Szczesny went out of his position, he picked the ball, brought it up and kicking it far forward. Santi Cazorla and Rudolf dueled in the air. Rudolf won it. He managed to head the ball towards Kazuki. Kazuki got the ball. He then pushed the ball through the gap between Mikel Arteta's legs. He then turned and chased the ball.

Soon after that, Kazuki gave a shot from outside the penalty box. Too bad his shot missed the goalpost. The ball slid over the goalpost just an inch from the top post.

"Aahh! Beautiful kick from outside the penalty box launched by Kazuki. Too bad the accuracy was still lacking. Southampton failed to expand the advantage while Arsenal are still 1 goal behind Southampton."

Southampton launched the final attack in the 45th minute. Orlando hit Alex Oxlade-chamberlain's body firmly. He then stole the ball from his feet and passed it to Rudolf. Rudolf moved backwards to avoid Santi Cazorla's pursuit. He then gave the ball to Ben Carter. Ben Carter dribbled the ball forward and overlapped.

He crossed the halfway line and gave Wright-Phillips a pass. Wright-Phillips held the ball at his feet while Kazuki dashed past Jenkinson. Wright-Phillips provided a through ball to Kazuki who was on the left side of the Arsenal defense. Kazuki received the pass and stabbed into the penalty box.

The moment Koscielny tried to take the ball from him Kazuki immediately changed the direction of the ball. Soon, he dribbled the ball into the middle of the penalty box. When he was surrounded by Arsenal players, Kazuki gave a back-pass to Wright-Phillips. The player launched a quick shot towards the net. The kick hit the post and bounced off the field. Southampton failed to score at the end of the first half.

At half-time. Neither team made any adjustments at all. Southampton's tactics proved to be working well. Meanwhile it's hard to understand why Winter hasn't changed Arsenal's players. Maybe he still wanted to give them a chance.

At the start of the second half the intensity of the match went smoothly. Arsenal had the ball as usual, and dominated Southampton. However, Southampton just calmly waited for the counter-attack to come. This made it difficult for Arsenal to dismantle the Southampton defense.

Passing and coordination between playersplayers was very important if the opposing players put up such a tight formation. This made Arsenal's attack just stop there. Even so, the Gunners still control the ball. They were patiently waiting for the right time to attack Southampton again.

In the 47th minute, Cazorla provided a through ball to the right side. Welbeck confronted Ben Carter. Then he passed the ball back to Jenkinson. Jenkinson provided a cross into the middle of the field.. Podolski headed the ball but Southampton goalkeeper Dean Smith managed to catch Podolski's header well.