Southampton 1-1 Arsenal result: All the Premier League action from St Mary's as it happened

So far from a good Arsenal performance but they manage to come away from Southampton with a point thanks to Olivier Giroud's late headed equaliser.

The result moves them back above Tottenham and into fifth place though in terms of them keeping pace with the leaders, it is two points dropped.

Southampton had opened the scoring after just three minutes courtesy of Charlie Austin and they had looked pretty good value for the win having defended well.

But Giroud came off the bench to earn Arsenal a point and save them from a second straight Premier League defeat.

You can read the match report by MATT BARLOW by clicking HERE.

Arsenal with one final attack and Kolasinac digs out a cross that Ramsey tries to flick towards goal with the inside of his boot. It is gathered by Forster and time is almost up.

Four minutes to play - will we see a winner?

Saints made their third and final change in the aftermath of that goal as Dusan Tadic was replaced by Steven Davis. 

They haven't looked like scoring for much of the game but it appears Arsenal will leave here with at least a point and Arsene Wenger's decision to throw on Olivier Giroud has paid off.

The Frenchman rose above the Saints defenders to glance a Sanchez cross from the left into the bottom corner of the net. A timely intervention for the Gunners.

Another substitution for the home side as Manolo Gabbiadini is thrown on for the final moments in place of the goalscorer Charlie Austin. He gets a very warm reception as you'd expect. 

Alexis Sanchez strikes the free-kick well, a curling shot, on target, and Forster has to punch it away to safety. Pretty much the first thing the Saints keeper has done all second-half. 

Another Southampton man in the book as Oriol Romeu goes in a little too heavily on Jack Wilshere as the Arsenal man tried to make something happen. The Gunners now have a free-kick perhaps 25 yards from goal...

Southampton on a quick break after clearing their lines but Boufal waits and wait and waits before playing his pass through to Austin. By which point the striker is flagged offside. Should have released an earlier ball and he would have been away.

Southampton doing a little time-wasting as we head into the last 10 minutes and Jack Stephens gets a yellow card as he dithers over a throw in.

Arsene Wenger growing increasingly frustrated on the touchline as his Arsenal side show few signs of finding an equaliser here with time ticking down.

Southampton have looked very solid at the back and deserve great credit for that.

Hector Bellerin is the first player booked as he drags back Boufal as the Saints man tries to break through.

And here comes Giroud as Arsenal make their third and final sub. Alexandre Lacazette, who hasn't been effective at all this afternoon, makes way.

Saints also make a change of their own with Sofiane Boufal coming on for Nathan Redmond.

Wenger preparing to throw on another attacking option in the form of Olivier Giroud. He needs his team to be more direct, their build-up is really laboured at times. And Southampton have still shown they can pick them off on the counter. 20 to play...

Jack Wilshere taking off his tracksuit for Arsenal as they win a corner that is cleared as far as Nacho Monreal. He's a good 30 yards out but tries to curl a shot back towards the target and it's a couple of feet wide.

Wilshere now coming on for Granit Xhaka. 

Another good chance for the Saints and more Arsenal defensive weakness. Somehow Tadic is able to wriggle away from Nacho Monreal and get a ball back across to Ryan Bertrand. He only has Cech to beat after shrugging off Koscielny but sends his shot wide.

So the two wing-backs - Bellerin and Kolasinac have dropped back - and Arsenal are now lining up 4-2-3-1 with Welbeck on the right of the three.

Arsenal will make a change and it's a really attacking one as Danny Welbeck comes on for Per Mertesacker with 27 minutes to play. It hasn't been Mertesacker's day I'm afraid. 

A rare foray forward for the Saints ends with Oriol Romeu trying his luck from outside the box and skimming the top of the crossbar. Still warning signs for Arsenal that Southampton might be able to punish them on the counter.

Arsenal fans and players shouting for handball as Kolasinac is denied by Stephens sliding in to block. Would have been harsh, the ball dropping onto him from a height.

It follows a nice pass from Ozil into Lacazette inside the box, but Saints weather the storm.

Chances at both ends. Nathan Redmond shoots at Petr Cech but the keeper isn't troubled and saved comfortable. 

Arsenal then break and Ramsey tries his luck from the edge of the box. The shot is dragged off target and goes wide of the far post. 

A solid six minute spell of Arsenal possession and pressure at the start of this second-half but they can't pierce their way through an organised Saints defence

Sead Kolasinac gets through down the left but Ward-Prowse and Stephens do well to block him off before he can shoot.

Looks like the pattern is set for the second-half. 

Already an urgency about Arsenal as they seek a way back into the contest. Passing the ball patiently around inside the Saints half, trying to stretch the home side out of position.

Dusan Tadic starts the second half at St Mary's. No changes at the break.

That early Charlie Austin goal resulted from a misplaced Per Mertesacker pass on his return to the team today. Austin and Dusan Tadic then linked up and the striker stuck the ball past Petr Cech.

It was reward for a bright opening to the contest by the home side and they might even have scored a second as Austin tormented the Gunners back line.

Slowly Arsenal regained their composure and started to dominate possession. They have created a few chances, with Aaron Ramsey denied by a low save by Fraser Forster.

The whistle blows at St Mary's and Southampton lead at the break thanks to that third-minute goal from Charlie Austin. 

More joy for Arsenal down their right-hand side as Hector Bellerin pushed on and picks out Lacazette in the middle. He's under pressure and skies his shot really badly into the stand.

Closing in on half-time at St Mary's and Southampton still lead thanks to Charlie Austin's well-taken goal in the third minute. 

They're holding their own defensively at the minute as Arsenal attack in fits and starts.

That's an important save by Fraser Forster and Arsenal's best chance of the game. It was Alexis Sanchez who found space to cross from the right and he found Aaron Ramsey, whose shot was firm and on target. Forster got down well to his left and turned the ball away.

Another moment of uncertainty in the Arsenal box and they are very nearly two-down. It stemmed from a Saints free-kick that wasn't properly cleared, there was a moment of pinball and Cech has to gather after the ball came off one of his defenders towards goal.

A good chance here for Southampton to load the box as they win a free-kick wide on the left. James Ward-Prowse swings it in and Petr Cech comes off his line to punch it out for a corner - not entirely convincingly. 

This time Ramsey does manage to get a shot away after controlling and turning well on the edge of the Southampton box. It's a tame effort, though, and Forster can just bend down and pick it up.

Southampton's bright start seems to have blown itself out and they're now sitting in as Arsenal play the ball around. Forster punches away a Sead Kolasinac cross from the left and it doesn't quite drop nicely for Aaron Ramsey. 

A lovely flowing move by Arsenal, who are showing signs of getting into their stride here. Lacazette runs the ball forward through the middle, with Sanchez and Ozil in support. Arsenal trying to pass the ball into the net and, in the end, Hojbjerg gets in ahead of Lacazette as he prepares to shoot.

Arsenal finally carve out a chance - a snapshot from Lacazette about eight yards out after they punch through the middle of the Saints defence. The shot is straight at Fraser Forster though and Saints survive.

Arsenal looking for a response as Aaron Ramsey trades passes with Alexandre Lacazette and advances through the middle. But there aren't too many options for him and Saints snuff out the danger.

This is an unbelievable start by Southampton and they're almost in again with Austin. He slides in to meet a cross from the left-hand side by Ryan Bertrand, but it's back off the post. The offside flag was raised - looked close to be honest. Arsenal living really dangerously here!

It may be a midday kick-off but Arsenal's back line really shouldn't be this sleepy. They get caught out once again with Mertesacker caught cold again. 

This time the shot by Austin is saved low down by Cech. Really shaky start by the Gunners. 

Wow, what a brilliant start by Southampton! From their first attack down the right-hand side, Per Mertesacker doesn't get enough purchase on a clearance and it comes to Dusan Tadic.

He advances towards the box and played a lovely reverse through ball into Charlie Austin. He's been in great form of late and pokes the ball beyond Petr Cech for 1-0.

We are underway in the first of three Premier League matches this afternoon.

Time for the traditional pre-match formalities of the Premier League anthem and handshakes, then we'll be underway.

Plenty of the players wearing gloves and long sleeves I would imagine. The Saints in their usual red and white stripes, Arsenal in blue this afternoon.

Right, here we go then with the first of three important matches in the Premier League.

The players of Southampton and Arsenal are lined up in the tunnel at St Mary's, about to walk out into a very chilly stadium. But thankfully no snow down there, just rain, sleet and what looks like a very stiff breeze.

Arsenal aiming to return to the Premier League top four with a win today. 

The Gunners have lost 11 league matches in 2017, their worst tally in a calendar year since 1995 (14).

No Premier League player has made more Premier League appearances without starting a game than Olivier Giroud this season (12, level with Diafra Sakho) – at a single club, only Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Man Utd (17) has more Premier League substitute goals than Giroud does for Arsenal (16), including three this season.

Arsenal have already recovered as many points from losing positions this season as they managed in the entirety of last season (9) and won more matches from behind this season (3) than last season (2).

Fraser Forster has conceded just five goals in his five Premier League games against Arsenal, despite the Gunners having 30 shots on target against the England keeper.

Charlie Austin has scored seven goals in his last 10 Premier League starts for Southampton, including three in his last two.

Austin has scored in both of his previous two Premier League appearances against Arsenal, but he ended up on the losing side for QPR (both 1-2) on both occasions.

Jack Wilshere is back and believes he can make Arsenal and England better teams if Arsene Wenger and Gareth Southgate trust him to play.

The exiled international has not started a Premier League game all season and is yet to add to his 34 caps since Southgate took charge last November.

But a string of convincing cameo roles from the bench and a man of the match display in Europe in midweek have prompted calls for him to start as Arsenal look to bounce back from last weekend's defeat by Manchester United in Sunday's always testing clash at Southampton.

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Mauricio Pellegrino has thrown his support behind Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster to prove Gareth Southgate wrong by shining against Arsenal on Sunday.

Forster hasn't kept a clean sheet in his last six Premier League outings in a run dating back to October and has found himself under intense pressure to rediscover his form after being dropped from recent England squads.

The 6ft 7inch former Celtic stopper looked to have done just that during last weekend's 1-1 draw with Bournemouth after making a string of superb saves.

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Southampton have only lost one of their last six home Premier League games against Arsenal (W2 D3), though it was in the last such meeting back in May (0-2).

Arsenal haven’t won successive away league games against Southampton since August 1997.

However, Arsenal did win twice at St Mary’s last season, earning a 5-0 victory in an FA Cup fourth round match thanks to a Theo Walcott hat-trick, and a 2-0 win in the Premier League.

Southampton have never lost three home games in all competitions against a single opponent in a calendar year, while Arsenal last won three away matches against an opponent in a calendar year in 1987 against Spurs (four wins).

Only two Arsenal players have scored more goals in their first 15 Premier League appearances for the club than Alexandre Lacazette (8) – Alexis Sanchez (9) and Ian Wright (10).

Rob Draper: Arsenal will make a move next summer for Paris Saint-Germain's Goncalo Guedes as they look to rebuild after the departures of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.

Though Arsenal are also expected to make a fresh move for another left-sided attacking player in Thomas Lemar in January - though they will bid well below the £90million which was on offer in August - Guedes, 21, has also been identified to help fill the vacuum by the expected departure of the club's best players next summer.

Guedes is on a season-long loan at Valencia where he has been instrumental in the club's challenge to Barcelona in La Liga.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY

Southampton: Forster, Stephens, van Dijk, Yoshida, Hojbjerg, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Bertrand, Tadic, Redmond, Austin
Substitutes: Hoedt, Davis, McCarthy, Lemina, Boufal, Gabbiadini, Pied

Arsenal: Cech, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Bellerin, Ramsey, Xhaka, Kolasinac, Ozil, Sanchez, Lacazette
Substitutes: Wilshere, Giroud, Ospina, Iwobi, Welbeck, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin

Referee: Robert Madley (West Yorkshire)

We will bring you the team line-ups from Southampton vs Arsenal shortly

No doubt many of you are waking up to a thick layer of snow this morning and while this may seem like a winter wonderland, it could potentially be pretty disruptive to today's football.

However, the good news is that, as it stands, all three games are going ahead.

Southampton is too far south to have copped the worst of the overnight snowfall though if you are going down, I'd advise taking all of your woolly clothing as temperatures will be just above the freezing mark.

On Merseyside, there were a few flurries of snow this morning but not enough to threaten the derby game at 2.15pm. Liverpool did tweet out a reminder to their fans to allow extra time and take care in and around the ground.

But fingers crossed, we should be fine although there is a weather warning for some more snow later this afternoon. 

As for Manchester. Well, the worst of the expected 'snow bomb' hit further south overnight, but there is an Amber weather warning in place for the city for more snow later on.

So while there isn't any snow at Old Trafford from overnight (see the pic below), it's looking pretty treacherous for later on.

However, no indication at the moment that the game is in doubt. 

It's a Sunday afternoon that could go a long way to shaping the destiny of the Premier League title. If Manchester City beat their rivals United at Old Trafford later on, they will sit 11 points clear at the top of the table. Surely they wouldn't be caught from there?

Before that, another fixture with plenty of local pride resting on it as Liverpool take on Everton at Anfield. Can the Toffees continue their recent revival and claim a rare win in their neighbours' backyard?

And before that on this superb triple-decker Sunday, we are down at St Mary's as Arsenal aim to break back into the top four with a win over Southampton.

So much interest, so much intrigue, so many brilliant sub-plots. Welcome along to our live coverage of a fascinating Premier League Sunday!