Forster frustrates Gunners

Fraser Forster produced a string of fine saves to frustrate Arsenal and give his Southampton side a share of the spoils in a goalless draw at the Emirates.

The England international was in excellent form on the night but that wasn't the only reason for Arsenal dropping two points. The Gunners really should've made more of their opportunities in front of goal. Although I rate Olivier Giroud highly I also believe that, if we had a world class striker in our ranks, some of those chances would've been put away.

Results like this could end up costing us the title. Although I haven't fully given up hope on us finishing top, despite us dropping to fourth and five points behind leaders Leicester, it is starting to feel like it is fading away from us.

It was a dramatic improvement on the 4-0 horror show we encountered at Southampton on Boxing Day but it still wasn't really good enough. Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez linked up superbly at times but we just seemed to lack that extra spark in front of goal.

However, had it not been for Forster's top display, it is very likely we would've got all three points from that game and it was a frustrating result to take. What made it even tougher to accept was the fact the result saw us drop below bitter rivals Tottenham. We need to rectify this quickly!

Neither side created too much in the early exchanges with Arsenal in particular starting very slowly, although Petr Cech did have to be alert to tip James Ward-Prowse's free-kick wide.

One of Arsenal's best moments of the game arrived after 12 minutes when Ozil controlled Sanchez's long pass with a delightful touch before forcing Forster into a save.

The duo faced off again nine minutes later as Ozil flicked on Giroud's header in the box, but Forster denied him with an excellent point-blank save.

At the other end Dusan Tadic's shot from the edge of the area was straight at Cech, while Oriol Romeu blazed over from long-range.

Ozil continued to be in the thick of the action but Arsenal were still unable to find that all-important goal as the German international's shot was blocked in the final minute of the half.

Arsenal started the second half with a lot more attacking purpose and came close to breaking the deadlock within 12 minutes of the restart. Giroud's curling placed shot looked destined to go in, only for Forster to dive high to his left to keep him out with a fantastic save.

Gabriel's sloppy defending gifted Southampton possession and a great chance to score after 54 minutes but, luckily for Arsenal, Sadio Mane's eventual shot was comfortably saved by Cech.

Substitute Theo Walcott should've made a big impact on the game within five minutes of coming on but he spurned his opportunities. Walcott was denied twice in quick succession by Forster and, although they were both excellent saves, the England forward really should've done better with the amount of space he was in for the first attempt.

Forster continued to frustrate the Gunners as he did just about enough to claw away Sanchez's header before Laurent Koscielny later headed over from close range.

Arsenal finally got the better of Forster with 19 minutes remaining but Sanchez's goal-bound effort was blocked on the line by Ward-Prowse to keep the scores level.

Nothing Arsenal tried was working as they just couldn't beat Forster, who once again rescued his side when he tipped Giroud's header over the bar.

Sanchez saw a shot blocked and Aaron Ramsey's effort was saved by Forster as the game ended all square.

OPPOSITION VIEW
Southampton fan Mavis John was pleased with her side's performance and paid tribute to the heroics of Forster.

"I thought we played well, particularly defensively, but there was one clear reason why Arsenal's 11 shots on target didn't end up as goals and that was Fraser Forster. He was brilliant." said John.

"It's no coincidence that our improved performances and results have happened since Fraser came back from injury.

"The game showed just how much we need Fraser - not only is he a brilliant goalkeeper but he manages to get the defence working properly too."

"It's good to be back safely in the top half of the table - it was not so long ago that the R word started being used in connection with Southampton but it now seems we're marching more consistently upwards. COYS!"

MY FINAL THOUGHTS
You could argue that a draw against a well-drilled Southampton side isn't all that bad but, in the context of the whole season and how recent weeks have gone, I can't help but feel very frustrated.

That result was simply not good enough. In a season where champions Chelsea are under-performing and Manchester City are looking more beatable, we really should be looking to do better.

We are only five points behind Leicester so the title isn't over for us just yet but we are certainly making hard work of it. We should really be clear at the top by now and not below Spurs in fourth. We need to get our act together and quickly and nothing less than six points, away at Bournemouth and home to leaders Leicester, will be good enough if we are serious about this title challenge.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS