This was a reality check for any title pretensions Arsenal hold, although they can still stew from on top of the pile. For the second successive Sunday they wobbled away from home and this time there was no repeat of their fortune at Elland Road, where they scraped through a chaotic second half to win. Another sloppy performance after the interval was punished by a beautifully worked equaliser from Stuart Armstrong and Southampton, who looked well beaten in the opening half-hour, could feel they were worth a point.
Arsenal had not drawn since their stalemate with Burnley in January and the bigger picture may reflect that nobody can maintain a diet of feast or famine forever. Draws happen: many more would doubtless prove terminal in a sprint against Manchester City but, perhaps more relevantly, their position in relation to other top-four contenders is unharmed.
