LONDON -- Arsenal's Capital One Cup campaign came to a swift end as Southampton picked up a 2-1 win. Here are three points from the clash at the Emirates:
1. Failure of Arsenal's fringe players
Traditionally, Arsenal use the league cup as a vague baptism of lukewarm water for their academy starlets, but there was a far stronger look to their team this season. In the place of willowy teenagers came a host of senior fringe players desperate to prove themselves. And they failed. Southampton fought back after going a goal down early in the first half and were well worth their 2-1 victory.
Alexis Sanchez -- no fringe player at all -- was given the vanguard, scurrying about up front with great industry and invention. He may not be much of a target man, but he was a constant menace to the Southampton centre-backs. Like Luis Suarez and Carlos Tevez before him, Sanchez matches his spectacular talent with boundless energy and enthusiasm, securing the lead in glorious style after just 13 minutes.
Felled by Jose Fonte 25 yards outside the box, Sanchez picked himself up, dusted himself down and promptly whipped the ball into the top corner to open the scoring. The finish was so precise that Sanchez must have been retrofitted with laser sights before kickoff.
But Arsenal's bright start quickly faded.
Tomas Rosicky, the tenacious terrace hero who has yet to start in the league, shared the centre of midfield with Jack Wilshere and was responsible for Southampton's equaliser. Sadio Mane, Southampton's 11.8 million pound deadline day signing, zipped into the area and, spotting Rosicky's wild sliding tackle, hurled himself up in the air and landed with all the grace of a dropped sack of dirty laundry.
Contact or not, the offence is "tripping or attempting to trip" and Rosicky's challenge was so reckless that he could have few complaints. Dusan Tadic did the honours of converting from the spot.
Arsenal debutant David Ospina, who had a wonderful World Cup with Colombia, was culpable for the winning goal, beaten by a long-range effort from Nathaniel Clyne that couldn't have been hit much more directly at the Gunners' goalkeeper. That said, the shot was powerful enough to disintegrate Ospina's fingers on contact. Though Ospina would make a number of second-half saves to partially redeem himself, regular first-choice Wojciech Szczesny will sleep soundly enough for now.
There were other disappointments. Joel Campbell looked quick and tricky but as raw as steak tartare. The only plausible reason that Lukas Podolski remained on the field for the full 90 minutes was that he was so anonymous that Arsene Wenger must have assumed he had brought him off already.
It wasn't all bad. Isaac Hayden, 19, made his debut in the defence, essentially marking himself as the club's fourth-choice senior centre-back in the process with a solid display. Hector Bellerin worked hard at right-back, enjoying a private fast and furious battle with Mane; the pair set off all of North London's speed cameras every time they accelerated down the touchline.
Yet it is hard to look beyond the fact that this was a missed opportunity, both for the fringe players and for Arsenal. With only a few fixtures and a swift resolution, this is not a competition that should be dismissed lightly. But it is Southampton that find themselves four matches from Wembley. And deservedly so.
2. Southampton might actually be in better shape
For a club that was supposed to be circling the drain after being gutted by predators over the summer, Southampton are enjoying a positive start to the season. And little wonder. So impressive with Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, Ronald Koeman has been able to tap a relatively underused market, and it's paid dividends.
Graziano Pelle has a bit of Robert Lewandowski about him -- not particularly swift but big, strong, clever and blessed with a touch as delicate as a first kiss. Tadic, who had an outrageously successful season with Twente last year, is a wonderful footballer whose through-balls are so precise he could squeeze them through keyholes. Fraser Forster made a number of excellent but effortless saves, his superior sense of positioning giving him a head start for every shot.
It's hard not to conclude that the Saints have levelled up this summer, but it's not simply a case of buying better individuals. Southampton look like a more positive team all over. They were excellent under Mauricio Pochettino, hunting in packs and breaking with extreme prejudice, but they are more creative now -- largely through Tadic but also through Steven Davis.
It will be a long season and it's highly doubtful that they will hold their place in the top four, but this certainly doesn't look like a team heading for a fall. A place in the Europa League may be within their grasp.
3. Diaby lives!
After recovering from what is thought to be the 40th injury of his professional career, Abou Diaby made his first start in 18 months and lasted 67 minutes without breaking, twisting, spraining or twanging anything. Not only that, he gave a measured and mature display at the base of the midfield, carefully tidying up and recycling possession.
Morgan Schneiderlin was the first to test his courage, swinging at his heels like a man trying to fell a tree with a broomstick; over 50,000 Arsenal fans audibly sucked the air through their teeth with palpable anxiety. But Diaby survived and continued undaunted. If anyone deserves a run with the team and a bit of luck, he does. Even Tottenham fans wouldn't wish injury No. 41 on this poor man.