Gabriel Jesus and Co had an afternoon to forget as the Gunners posted their first draw of the season at St Mary's

Arsenal saw their eight-game winning run in all competitions come to an end as they were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at struggling Southampton.

The points extends the Gunners' lead at the top of the Premier League table to two points over Manchester City, but Mikel Arteta will know his side threw away the chance of a ninth successive victory.

It looked like they would be cruising to another win when Granit Xhaka swept in a stunning half-volley after just 11 minutes to open the scoring.

But the visitors wasted several chances to extend their lead, with Gabriel Jesus the main culprit, and the misses were to prove costly in the second half.

Arsenal were sloppy after the interval, just as they were at Leeds last weekend, and this time they were punished when Mohamed Elyounoussi played in Stuart Armstrong to equalise.

Getty ImagesThe Winners

Winner: Granit Xhaka

Xhaka stealing the headlines is becoming all too familiar now.

This was another fine performance from the midfielder, who must be in the running for Arsenal's player of the season so far.

His finish was exceptional and takes his tally for the campaign to four, more than he has amassed in each of his last three seasons combined.

It was also the first time he has scored in competitive games since he netted against Hull City and Nottingham Forest in 2016.

Winner: Ben White

It will be laughable if Ben White doesn't make the England squad.

Gareth Southgate may be blessed with right-back options, but there is no one playing better football in that position than White right now.

He was good again against Southampton and looks like he has been playing the right-back role for years, rather than just a couple of months.

White's run and cross for Xhaka's goal was excellent and his all-round performance was typical of what he has been producing since the start of the campaign.

Winner: Kieran Tierney

It's been a frustrating season so far for Kieran Tierney, who has had to watch Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu move ahead of him in the pecking order.

But this could be the game that sees Tierney come back into the Premier League starting XI.

Arteta once again started Tomiyasu at left-back after his strong recent performances on the left-hand side of the defence.

But the Japan international really struggled, especially in the second half, and you wonder if Mikel Arteta might opt to restore Tierney to the lineup against Nottingham Forest next weekend, if Zinchenko continues to be unavailable.

AdvertisementGettyThe Losers

Loser: Gabriel Jesus

Jesus has had such a good season so far for Arsenal, but he had an off day here.

The Brazilian had several opportunities to extend Arsenal's lead and couldn't take any of them.

He's now gone five games without a goal in all competitions and that will be a concern for Arteta.

Jesus had one big chance when he went through one on one in the second half, but he never looked confident and his shot was eventually blocked.

It proved to be a costly miss as Southampton got their equaliser soon after.

Loser: Takehiro Tomiyasu

The Japan international has adapted well to the left-back role, having been asked to play out of position by Mikel Arteta in the absence of Oleksandr Zinchenko.

But this was a tough afternoon for Tomiyasu, who was put under a lot of pressure in the second half as Southampton looked to get back into the game.

The hosts targeted him a bit and it was no surprise to see Arteta make a change, bringing on Tierney and moving Tomiyasu back to his natural position on the right side of the back four.

Loser: Robert Jones

You know the referee is bad when he infuriates both sides.

Jones had an absolute stinker, making questionable decisions throughout the contest.

None more so than in the first half when he decided to book Bukayo Saka for diving when the Arsenal winger went down as he was racing through on goal.

Whether it was a foul was debatable, but there was clearly enough contact from two Southampton defenders for Saka to go down.

It was an awful decision from Jones to show the 21-year-old a yellow card, but one that summed up his performance.

GettyArsenal Ratings: Defence

Aaron Ramsdale (6/10):

Did well to cope with Southampton's set pieces.

Ben White (7/10):

Good again. Great assist for Xhaka's goal.

William Saliba (6/10):

Couple of sloppy moments, uncharacteristic for him.

Gabriel Magalhaes (7/10):

Dealt with Southampton's aerial bombardment well.

Takehiro Tomiyasu (5/10):

Really struggled during the early moments of the second half.

GettyMidfield

Thomas Partey (6/10):

Not at his best. Never really got control of the game.

Granit Xhaka (7/10):

Another excellent finish.

Martin Odegaard (6/10):

Couple of excellent passes to create chances for Jesus, but should have done better himself in front of goal.