Stewart nets first Saints goal as Arsenal snatch late win at St Mary's
SAINTS ended the 2024/25 Premier League season with a positive performance but fell to a late 2-1 defeat to Arsenal at St Mary's.
Saints were equal to second-place Gunners for most of a competitive clash but Kieran Tierney opened the scoring before the interval.
Injury-stricken Scotland compatriot Ross Stewart rose highest to head his first Saints goal and first goal for any team since January 2023.
However, Martin Odegaard crushed interim boss Simon Rusk's hopes of a third point in seven matches when he rifled in on the 87th minute.
Saints finish the Premier League season bottom of the table with a dismal 12 points, but are able to put a more positive spin on the future.
New manager Will Still watched the match from the stands, while academy youngsters started and came off the bench after their strong season.
A 2-1 defeat to Arsenal draws the curtain on the Premier League season. Saints were decent today to be fair, but finish on 12 points and a record 30 defeats. Big summer ahead, let's hope they get it right. A lot of pieces now in place. #SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/8NdSTLGcWX
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) May 25, 2025
Rusk made five changes to his final Saints team but some were enforced, including the absence of Jack Stephens due to a fractured wrist.
Tyler Dibling was also not in the squad with muscle tightness cited as the reason, while there was no farewell for departing Kyle Walker-Peters.
Amongst those coming into the team were Charlie Taylor - who had not played since January - and 18 year old Jay Robinson for a first start.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta also made a raft of changes to his team, leaving Bukayo Saka on the bench with loanee Raheem Sterling preferred.
There were 59 points between the two teams ahead of kick-off but Saints drew 4-4 with Liverpool on the final day of their last Premier League season.
Final-day matches often provide a surprise, and Saints were on top for much of the first half, even feeling aggrieved at being denied a penalty kick.
A powerful Mateus Fernandes shot appeared to strike the outward hand of Declan Rice but the referee and VAR agreed it did not constitute a foul.
Stewart headed wide with a chance to score his first Saints goal, although St Mary's roared at the winning of a succession of corners.
Ross Stewart off to a standing ovation after scoring his first Southampton goal. A lovely moment for him after a horrible few years. #SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/T3QmixHRAF
— George Rees-Julian (@rees_julian) May 25, 2025
Aaron Ramsdale denied former Gunners teammate Gabriel Martinelli when his perfectly timed run saw him evade defence one-on-one.
But Ramsdale was unable to prevent the goal scored by departing defender Tierney just before half-time, marking his final Arsenal appearance.
An overlapping Ben White crossed low into the front post, where dreamer Tierney was in front of his man to sweep home in the 43rd minute.
Saints, inspired by talented youngster Robinson, did not let that derail them and instead flew out of the traps to equalise within 11 minutes.
Moments after the academy starlet won a dangerous free-kick, his trickery in the box earned Saints a corner that Stewart rose to score from.
Fernandes whipped in the delivery and the Scottish striker cleverly headed backwards to send St Mary's into a frenzy over his first Saints goal.
Yuki Suagwara, back in the starting team for the first time since March 15, cleared off the line to keep the scores level shortly after.
Substitute Saka thought he had put his team in front when he turned in the loose ball from a Ramsdale save but the linesman's flag went up.
But Saints were not offered the same reprieve when fellow substitute Martin Odegaard beat Will Smallbone and fired in from outside the area.
The Norwegian's 87th-minute goal condemned Saints to a 30th Premier League loss; a record number of defeats in a league season.
Saints: Ramsdale; Sugawara, Wood, Taylor, Welington; Downes, Ugochukwu (Kayi Sanda, 85), Fernandes; Kamaldeen (Archer, 78), Robinson (Smallbone, 78), Stewart (Onuachu, 69).
Unused subs: McCarthy, Manning, Aribo, Bree, Moore.
Arsenal: Raya; White, Kiwior, Tierney (Trossard, 63), Zinchenko (Lewis-Skelly, 69); Partey, Rice, Nwaneri (Odegaard, 74), Merino, Sterling (Saka, 63); Martinelli (Havertz, 69).
Unused subs: Neto, Jorginho, Henry-Francis, Kabia.
Referee: Darren Bond.
VAR: Graham Scott.
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