Martin Odegaard’s 89th-minute thunderbolt ensured Arsenal ended their Premier League campaign on a high, sealing a 2-1 win over Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium.

Kieran Tierney marked his final appearance for Arsenal in style, breaking the deadlock just before half-time with a smart finish from Ben White’s centre.

Despite dominating possession, Arsenal failed to build on their lead, and Southampton struck back after the break, courtesy of a towering Ross Stewart header in the 56th minute.

But with the match ebbing towards a draw, Odegaard rifled home from distance to ensure the Gunners signed off with a win that saw them keep hold of second place.

Arsenal end the season with 72 points, one ahead of Manchester City, while Southampton finished 10 points adrift at the bottom.

How the match unfolded

Mikel Merino missed an early chance for Arsenal, heading narrowly over the bar, before Southampton pleaded for a penalty for a potential handball by Declan Rice. Referee Darren Bond waved away their appeals, with his on-field decision upheld after a VAR review.

Gabriel Martinelli soon picked out Merino for another good opening, with the Spaniard crashing his header off the top of the bar. Martinelli then wasted a chance of his own, firing straight at Aaron Ramsdale from inside the box.

But Arsenal got their opener in the 43rd minute, when an unmarked Tierney burst ahead to calmly steer White’s clever near-post cross home.

Southampton came out with greater intent after the break and were rewarded 11 minutes into the second half, when Stewart rose to head in Mateus Fernandes’ corner.

Arsenal responded with sustained pressure but the hosts held out until the death, with Charlie Taylor heroically blocking Oleksandr Zinchenko’s long-range strike before Bukayo Saka saw a goal ruled out for offside, with the decision confirmed following a VAR review.

Odegaard eventually spared Arsenal’s blushes, however, firing a stunning 25-yard strike into the bottom-right corner with stoppage time looming.

Saints go marching out

Sunday’s match kicked off mere hours after Southampton confirmed that Will Still had been appointed manager ahead of next season’s Championship campaign.

The Saints will undoubtedly be disappointed with the way their Premier League season has gone, and they looked unlikely to go out on a high as they turned out an uninspired first-half showing.

Kamaldeen Sulemana was a constant outlet on the wing, leading several counter-attacks, but the hosts failed to record a shot on target before the break.

The start of the second period was a different story, with Sulemana and Jay Robinson leading an energetic Southampton charge forward before Stewart drew them level with a fine header.

However, Arsenal's quality told from then on as they upped the tempo and penned Southampton back. Odegaard’s late strike ultimately resigned the hosts to a 30^th Premier League defeat of the season.

They are the first team in Premier League history to lose that many matches in a single campaign, but they will hope Still is the man to lead a promotion push next term.

Tierney's fond farewell

Having sealed UEFA Champions League qualification with a 1-0 win over Newcastle United last weekend, Arsenal came into the final matchday with little but pride to play for.

Arsenal have endured a whirlwind campaign that saw them go from title contenders to top-five doubts, but they ended the season on a positive note as Mikel Arteta gave several fringe players a chance to impress.

Fan favourite Tierney was among them, playing his final game for Arsenal ahead of his return to boyhood club Celtic, which was confirmed earlier this week.

The Scot enjoyed a fitting farewell, breaking the deadlock and generally impressing at centre-back, where he was called upon to disrupt a fair few Southampton breakaways.

Stewart did peg Arsenal back in the second half and a familiar shadow appeared to fall over the visitors, with Martinelli squandering an excellent chance as Yukinari Sugawara cleared his effort off the line.

In the end, it was Odegaard who rescued the result. His late strike sealed a win that brought some relief at the end of a season that promised plenty for the Gunners but ultimately saw them end as runners-up for the third campaign in a row.

Club reports

Southampton report | Arsenal report

What the managers said

Simon Rusk: "Out of the seven games I've had [as manager], there's been positives in there. We were really close to taking a point off the Premier League runners-up. We can be really proud of our overall display and hopefully that's a good platform going into next season."

Mikel Arteta: "We wanted to finish with that positivity, that good atmosphere and vibe. We had to say goodbye to a few players and I think they deserved that to happen in a nice environment."

Match officials

Referee: Darren Bond. Assistants: Marc Perry, George Byrne. Fourth official: Gavin Ward. VAR: Graham Scott. Assistant VAR: James Mainwaring.