Arsenal winners and losers from Southampton as Jesus' miserable run continues

Arsenal ran out of steam against Southampton on Sunday as they were held to a surprise 1-1 draw on the south coast.

The Gunners headed into this weekend assured of top spot regardless of how Manchester City fared against Brighton, but the reigning Premier League champions cut the gap at the top to just a solitary point following a comprehensive 3-1 win over the Seagulls on Saturday.

24 hours later, Arsenal seemed to have mustered the perfect response after Granit Xhaka notched his second goal in four days to cap a strong first-half showing - but Southampton rallied after the break and struck back through Stuart Armstrong.

It was a frustrating afternoon at St Marys for Mikel Arteta's side, who dropped league points for only the second time this season. Here, Mirror Football takes a look at the winners and losers from Sunday's clash...

Winners

Granit Xhaka

Xhaka was Arsenal's star man in the win over PSV Eindhoven on Thursday night, and he picked up where he left off on the south coast.

The Swiss midfielder's renaissance in a new advanced role has been well-documented, and he capped another impressive performance with his second goal of the week; a smart finish after Ben White's pinpoint cutback.

Although Xhaka's influence waned after the break, the 30-year-old was once again Arsenal's standout player. The former Gunners captain is growing in confidence week after week and has gone from public enemy No.1 to the driving force behind Arsenal's unlikely title bid.

Ben White

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It looked as though Ben White was going to be the loser after William Saliba was chosen to partner Gabriel Magalhaes at the heart of Arsenal's defence this term, but the former Brighton man is thriving as a right-back.

White was solid again against the Saints and even grabbed an assist after teeing up Xhaka with a shrewd pass to break the deadlock. He looked relatively comfortable in defence too while his rival for the shirt, Takehiro Tomiyasu, was tormented on the other flank by Mohamed Elyounoussi.

Arteta sacrificed White in the closing stages of the game to call upon the attacking guile of Kieran Tierney, but White underlined why he is currently Arsenal's first-choice right-back - and why his inclusion in England's World Cup squad should be a no-brainer.

Losers

Gabriel Jesus

Up until recently, Gabriel Jesus has looked like the No.9 Arsenal have desperately needed for some time - but the former Manchester City striker suffered a torrid time in front of goal again on Sunday afternoon.

The Brazilian made an electric start to life at the Emirates, but the goals have dried up in recent weeks. His overall game against the Saints was fine, but once again he failed to deliver where Arsenal needed him most - in front of goal.

Jesus has now blanked in five consecutive games, and Arteta admitted after the match that the Gunners marquee summer signing would be disappointed that he failed to put Southampton to the sword after spurning a couple of golden chances.

"I'm sure today he will be disappointed because he had the chances to put them away, Arteta said. "Knowing Gabi, he's disappointed when he scores two goals and could have scored three or four, so he can do that. But he has the chances, and he's always there. He gives so much to the team, and it's a shame he couldn't put them away today."

Takehiro Tomiyasu

Tomiyasu produced an imperious display to stifle one of Europe's most potent forwards in Cody Gakpo on Thursday night - but he was all at sea on the south coast.

The diligent full-back struggled to get to grips with Mohamed Elyounoussi and was tormented time and time again in the second-half.

Arteta eventually moved the Japanese international over to the opposite flank for the final 20 minutes of the match at the expense of White, but performances like this will do little to boost Tomiyasu's chance of wrestling the right-back berth away from the former Brighton man.

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