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

Arsenal failed to score for the third straight Premier League game after being held to a 0-0 draw by Southampton at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night. The Saints had goalkeeper Fraser Forster to thank for the point, as the ex-Celtic man made a litany of fine saves.

Meanwhile, the Gunners have taken just three points from the last 12, hardly the form of genuine title contenders. Instead, the north London club has slipped to fourth place behind local rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the table.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger fielded a familiar-looking starting XI, although Brazilian centre-back Gabriel continued in place of Per Mertesacker, while the Gunners also welcomed back playmaker Mesut Ozil.

Arsenal provided both teams' starters, with Saints boss Ronald Koeman leaving out new signing Charlie Austin altogether:   

Arsenal were a little sluggish during the initial minutes, but when they did get going, the home side produced some nice combination passing. Aaron Ramsey dovetailed well with Olivier Giroud, while Alexis Sanchez nearly put Ozil through with a superb long-range pass.

But the Saints did their own running, winning a series of early corners. Fortunately for Arsenal, though, goalkeeper Petr Cech claimed them all easily.   

Ozil then went very close after getting a touch on Giroud's initial header but found Saints 'keeper Forster in commanding form. It was just the start of the stubborn stopper's heroic night.

James Olley of the London Evening Standard felt who scored first would prove decisive:

Dusan Tadic then Oriol Romeu tried to help the Saints claim that early lead, both hitting shots from distance that had Cech concerned. Then Sadio Mane began to torment the Arsenal defence with his pace, but Gabriel consistently thwarted him.

The Gunners' biggest early problem was a lack of composure and quality in possession. Ramsey was particularly sloppy, regularly giving away the ball. Wayward passes have become common from the Welshman in recent matches.

There was still time for Ozil to go close again on the eve of the half-time break after being teed up by Joel Campbell and Sanchez. A desperate block from James Ward-Prowse kept the scores blank at intermission.

Home fans greeted the lack of inspiration with some slight displeasure, according to Olley:

Southampton had applied plenty of pressure on Arsenal's players throughout the half. The Saints won the physical battle in the middle, with one midfielder standing out, per WhoScored.com:

The second half started the way most of the first had played out, with Forster the star. He denied Giroud with another solid save.

With Forster and Koeman's packed midfield continuing to frustrate, Wenger introduced Theo Walcott for Campbell.

Yet Forster continued to keep Arsenal at bay, saving twice from Walcott before denying a Sanchez header. Ward-Prowse also cleared off the line after a scramble from a corner as Southampton's stubborn resistance showed little sign of breaking.

Forster made yet another save, this one from a Giroud header, as the game entered the final 10 minutes.

Ultimately though, Forster wasn't going to be beaten. His performance was summed up by this stat from OptaJoe:

Forster's individual numbers showed how clearly he'd tormented the home side:

Post-Match Reaction

Wenger referenced Forster's brilliance, but was also keen to lay the blame for the stalemate on his own side's struggles in front of goal, per Arsenal's official site:

Reflecting on the damage done to his team's title bid, Wenger conceded the Gunners' performances aren't matching their ambition:

As for Koeman, he admitted his side had enjoyed some luck at the Emirates, per his own Twitter account:

Meanwhile, Forster hailed a "great point," in the face of a strong Arsenal performance:

The Gunners have lost vital ground in the title race after drawing yet another blank. While it's easy to wonder where this form has been for Southampton during the rest of the season, Arsenal only have themselves to blame for not being sharper in front of goal.

The title now looks like a forlorn hope for Wenger's pedestrian squad.