Arsenal vs. Southampton: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Santi Cazorla converted a late penalty to give Arsenal a 2-1 win over Southampton at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. 

The Saints took an early lead thanks to an own goal from Petr Cech, but Laurent Koscielny tied things up in spectacular fashion before half-time.

Arsenal dominated after the break but failed to break down the Southampton defence, and the Gunners were lucky not to concede late, as Shane Long missed several great chances. A draw seemed inevitable, but Cazorla converted a penalty deep in injury time to secure the win.

As shared by Arsenal's official Twitter account, new signings Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez were both handed starts:

The Saints had the brighter start, however, with Ryan Bertrand finding plenty of success out wide early. Dusan Tadic proved a handful for the Arsenal defence, and the Serb provided Jay Rodriguez with the first real chance of the match. Fortunately for the Gunners, the forward powered his header over the bar.

Mesut Ozil went looking for Perez after a bright spell from the hosts, with Jose Fonte cutting out the pass. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain didn't fare much better. Mustafi finally picked out his fellow summer signing after 11 minutes, but Cedric Soares dealt with the threat well.

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Arsenal improved after their shaky start to the match, with Oxlade-Chamberlain heavily involved, but a poor stroke of luck gave the visitors the lead after 18 minutes. Cech pushed a free-kick from Tadic onto the crossbar, but the ball bounced into his back and crossed the goal line off the ricochet.

Soccer Saturday thought the Czech veteran got unlucky:

Arsenal pushed up the pitch in search of an equaliser, but this in turn opened things up for Southampton, who tried to exploit the counters with Nathan Redmond. Cazorla lobbed a fine cross into the box, but Theo Walcott, who isn't known as a great header of the ball, couldn't convert the chance.

Cazorla was booked for dissent, something Premier League officials are keeping a close eye on this season—which players seem to forget. Redmond almost doubled his team's lead on the counter, as Tadic fired a sharp ball in front of goal, but the 22-year-old youngster just couldn't push it over the line.

Instead, the goal fell on the other side of the pitch. Virgil van Dijk booted a ball out for a corner kick to deny Perez, but the resulting set piece fell to Koscielny, who produced a stunning overhead kick to beat goalkeeper Fraser Forster. Unibet were impressed:

The goal predictably provided the hosts with a major boost, and another Cazorla free-kick caused a bunch of problems in the box. Ozil had a shot blocked after a good cross from Hector Bellerin, but for all of their possession, the Gunners failed to create many chances.

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Southampton finished the half well, but Oxlade-Chamberlain nearly beat the defence after a great spin move, and both Perez and Walcott missed the target with late shots as well.

As Squawka Football noted, the half-time stats showed both teams were evenly matched in front of goal:

Long replaced Rodriguez to start the second half, but Arsenal once again took control of the ball, with Oxlade-Chamberlain curling a shot over Forster's goal early. Bellerin played a nice one-two with Perez but lost his touch and couldn't trouble the Saints.

Forster was booked for time-wasting, as he once again took far too long to take a free-kick. Arsenal were by far the better team, but Long tested Cech with a tame shot on the counter, sending a warning shot to the hosts.

Bertrand produced a stunning block to deny Perez, who was set up perfectly inside the box and seemed ready to open his Premier League account before the England international slid in. 

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Bellerin went close with a low slider before manager Arsene Wenger introduced Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez, giving the two about half an hour to make an impact. 

Long should have done better after an excellent through ball from Tadic, but the forward scuffed his finish and put it wide. And Ozil put Sanchez through on goal, with the Chilean firing just over the bar.

Meanwhile, ESPN FC's Iain Macintosh couldn't help himself:

Redmond fired a rare Southampton chance over the bar, but it was all Arsenal toward the end of the match. Long also missed a golden opportunity, heading the ball over from close range.

Cazorla nearly found Giroud with a sliding shot after a poor pass from Van Dijk, and Nacho Monreal's shot took a deflection off Cedric for a corner. Forster was on point to stop a Cazorla free-kick, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg gave Long the perfect opportunity for the winner, with the forward finding Cech in his path.

Bleacher Report's James McNicholas thought the Gunners had no reasons to complain about the score:

Giroud fired a shot into the side netting with just minutes left to play, and another mad scramble after a Cazorla cross led to nothing. 

But with almost no time left on the clock, Fonte and Giroud tangled, and the official pointed to the spot. It took several minutes to clear things up, as the visitors were furious, but Cazorla didn't let that distract him and converted the spot kick. 

Debutant Mustafi was happy with his performance and the win:

Arsenal will visit Paris Saint-Germain for the first UEFA Champions League match of the season on Tuesday, while Southampton play host to Sparta Prague in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.