May 26, (THEWILL) – Arsenal concluded their English Premier League season with a 2-1 victory over Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium, with captain Martin Odegaard delivering a stunning 25-yard strike in the 89th minute to claim all three points.
The Norwegian midfielder’s late intervention ensured the Gunners maintained their second-place finish with 72 points, one position ahead of Manchester City in the final table.
Kieran Tierney opened the scoring for Arsenal just before half-time, converting Ben White’s low cross with a neat finish at the near post in what proved to be his final appearance for the club before his anticipated return to Celtic.
The Scottish defender’s goal gave the visitors a deserved advantage after dominating possession throughout the opening period, though they failed to capitalise on several promising opportunities created down the left flank.
Southampton responded strongly after the interval and drew level in the 56th minute through Ross Stewart, whose powerful header found the net to bring the home crowd to life.
The Saints improved considerably in the second half and defended resolutely against Arsenal’s continued pressure, with Charlie Taylor producing a crucial block to deny Oleksandr Zinchenko, while Bukayo Saka had a goal disallowed for offside.
The match appeared destined for a draw until Odegaard stepped up to fire home his decisive strike with just one minute remaining, capping a solid individual performance and ensuring Arsenal finished the campaign on a positive note.
The victory marked the third consecutive season Arsenal have finished as runners-up in the EPL, making them only the fifth team in top-flight history to achieve this feat and the first to do so twice.
Southampton’s defeat confirmed their relegation to the Championship, finishing bottom of the table with a record-breaking 30 losses from their 38 matches – the most defeats ever recorded by a team in a single EPL season.
QArsenal’s defensive record proved particularly impressive throughout the campaign, as they became only the third team in premiership history to complete an entire season without conceding three or more goals in any single match.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
