£6m Southampton player calls Arsenal star 'the best' despite 3-1 defeat to the Gunners
10/06/2024 02:45 AM
Southampton gave Arsenal a scare on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.
A 55th minute goal from Cameron Archer put the Saints 1-0 up in north London, leaving many Arsenal fans wondering if Saturday would see a similar slip up to the shock 3-3 draw against Southampton from April 2023, which effectively ended Mikel Arteta’s Premier League title hopes.
Fortunately for the Gunners, Kai Havertz equalised just three minutes later, before Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka sealed all three points with goals of their own to secure a 3-1 win.
The victory leaves Arsenal third at the time of writing.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 1 | LiverpoolLiverpool | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 18 |
| 2 | Man CityManchester City | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 17 |
| 3 | ArsenalArsenal | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 17 |
| 4 | ChelseaChelsea | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 13 |
After the game, Southampton No.16 Yukinari Sugawara sent a message to Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Yukinari Sugawara praises Takehiro Tomiyasu after Arsenal 3-1 Southampton
You rarely see a Premier League player praise their opponent after a game – even less so after a defeat – but the £6m Southampton defender was effusive in his praise for Tomiyasu, who Inter Milan admire, after Saturday’s clash.
Sugawara called the Arsenal No.18 “the best” on Instagram, after the £17m Gunner made his comeback from injury in Saturday’s game.
The 24-year-old knows Tomiyasu well, having shared a pitch with him on five occasions for the Japan national team, winning three and drawing one of those outings.
How Tomiyasu performed on Arsenal comeback
It was great to see Tomiyasu – who could be sold in January – back in action on Saturday.
The 25-year-old had not played a single second of football so far this season after suffering a knee injury during a training session back in July, before Arsenal flew out to the United States for pre-season.
Tomiyasu looked like he would only get six minutes of action after Arteta withdrew Thomas Partey in place of the Japan international in the 84th minute, but ten minutes of stoppage time allowed the defender to enjoy a decent cameo.
As SofaScore shows, the man from Fukuoka made one clearance, completed three passes and even hit the woodwork in his 16 minutes on the pitch.
After a fairly lengthy period on the sideline for Tomiyasu, Arteta will be delighted to have his versatile defender back and available for selection.
