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Ralph Hasenhuttl produced a tactical masterclass in his first home fixture as Southampton boss to make sure his embattled side took advantage of Unai Emery’s in-form but severely depleted Arsenal team.

On the chalkboard

The Gunners, as a results of injuries and suspensions, had little choice but to line up with a makeshift defensive set-up at St Mary’s Stadium on Sunday. This meant that Laurent Koscielny made his first league appearance of the season after a severe achilles rupture, whilst he was joined in the middle by midfielder Granit Xhaka and 34-year-old right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner.

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The Saints will have been aware that they were facing a weakened, and much slower than usual, Arsenal defence. However, considering the home side began the weekend in the relegation zone, and were without a Premier League win in the last 12 games, it was far from a foregone conclusion that they would be able to exploit the north London club’s lack of cohesion.

The return of Danny Ings gave the Saints a focal point, whilst the likes of Nathan Redmond, Pierre-Emile Hojberg and Yan Valery also played their part. For Mohamed Elyounoussi, though, Saints’ win doesn’t look like a good sign for his future at the club.

A damning verdict

The winger joined Southampton from Basel this summer for a fee of £16 million. The 24-year-old quickly became a regular on the south coast, debuting in the Premier League against Burnley on the opening day of the campaign.

However, the 22-cap Norway international is still without a single goal or assist for his new club and has not started any of the Saints’ last seven league fixtures. He was not even included in Hasenhuttl’s match day squad for the win over the Gunners on Sunday. 

Considering Elyounoussi’s pace ought to have made him a prime candidate for ripping through Arsenal’s cobbled together defence, the fact that the new boss has such little faith in him is a damning indictment of the transition he has made to English football. 

After Sunday’s snub, it could be that Elyounoussi and the Saints are already ready to part ways.