Arsenal Earn 1-1 Draw Against Southampton Thanks to Late Olivier Giroud Goal

Olivier Giroud earned Arsenal a late draw against Southampton during Sunday's Premier League action, heading home in the 1-1 stalemate.

Charlie Austin gave Saints the perfect start, opening the scoring after just three minutes. The home side gave up a few chances in the first half but were fairly comfortable, and they were the better side after the break, too, doing damage on the counter. Giroud tied things up in the final minutes, however.

Here's a look at the team sheet, via Football.london's Charles Watts:

The hosts made a dream start after just three minutes, as Dusan Tadic went on a surging run before playing in Austin, who calmly finished. Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe praised the provider, noting how important he's been to the team of late:

Tadic continued to plague the Gunners defence after the early opener, putting Petr Cech to work after creating space and blasting away. Austin also went close shortly after, diverting a cross on to the post.

Fraser Forster's first real save came after a good turn from Alexandre Lacazette, and he was called into action again when Aaron Ramsey was afforded too much space. Cech put an end to a mad scramble in the box before Forster made a great stop to deny Ramsey, stunning Watts:

While there were a few half chances toward the end of the half, the pace dropped, with Arsenal controlling the ball but making few inroads.

The pattern held early in the second half, with even fewer chances for either side. Nathan Redmond barely troubled Cech with a shot from long range, and Ramsey didn't have any more luck.

Oriol Romeu had a great chance to double the lead after a great run and pass from Ryan Bertrand, but his shot hit the crossbar and stayed out. Per Coral, manager Arsene Wenger decided to change things up immediately afterwards:

But Saints continued to find space on the break, and Austin's effort only just rolled past the post. 

Giroud also made his way on to the pitch for the Gunners, but with 10 minutes left to play, Saints were still in the driver's seat, with few chances of note for the visitors in the second half. 

Sanchez forced a save from Forster with a free-kick, and with two minutes left to play, it was Giroud who finally beat the stopper with a great header. The goal came against the run of play, but the Gunners didn't care one bit.

Tighe was impressed:

Per Football.london's Rob Guest, Wenger took another shot at the officiating after the match, as he complained about time-wasting:

"I must say I'm frustrated. In the second half there was a lot of time wasting, especially on the final ball on the counter attack.

"It's very frustrating to give the advantage to the guy who made the foul.

"Not only were we called back with three against one, but when we played it quick he called the ball back without any reason and that was a huge advantage to Southampton."

The draw leaves Arsenal in fifth place in the standings, tied on points with Liverpool. The Reds will still face Everton later on Sunday, however.

The Gunners' next outing will be at West Ham United on Wednesday.