Claude Puel could be forgiven for wondering what he has to do to get things right at St Mary’s.

The slightly haunted look on his face as he wearily shook hands with Arsene Wenger at the full time whistle last night certainly suggested as much.

Unlike against Hull his team were not widely booed off, they were not overly negative, but yet again they couldn’t score. It’s three blanks on the trot at St Mary’s, and five in eight in total.

There is a real risk that they could end up as the Premier League’s lowest home scorers this season if they don’t get going in their final two attempts against Manchester United and Stoke.

When Saints played Hull the balance was all wrong. There were attacking players on the pitch, but the team performance was so negative.

Against Arsenal the balance was better, the team were more positive, but still it wasn’t enough.

It was one of those times when it felt as if Saints were paying the price for not making hay while the sun shined. For example, if they played like they did against the Gunners they surely would have beaten Hull comfortably, but against a quality side like Arsenal you are always up against it no matter how good you are.

And when you speak of a more positive display, you do have to put it into context.

The first half was better than the second, there were hardly a hatful of chances created and, though it wasn’t banks of men sat behind the ball, there was not the commitment from Puel of pressing football. Caution was still a part of the plan.

Again, maybe a fair policy against Arsenal, you could argue, but it feels like the way to face these sides has got muddled up somewhere along the line.

It has done nothing to address a feeling of the season bumbling to a finish that is being anticipated rather than a sense that it will be sad to wave goodbye to this campaign.

The flat atmosphere all around St Mary’s last night was a pretty big clue.

Saints started the game as they surely intended to go on throughout by coming out of the traps with purpose.

Though their first half battle with the Gunners only resulted in two genuine pieces of work for Petr Cech to deal with, they kept the pressure on for decent periods of time.

Cech had to cut out a low centre from Manolo Gabbiadini while there was a scramble to clear in the six yard box after a bit of pinball following James Ward-Prowse’s whipped cross from the right.

Saints had a clear opening on 31 minutes as a ball over the top found Dusan Tadic, who was in a surprising amount of space in the Arsenal box after springing the offside trap.

He brought the ball down on his chest but it seemed to take an age to drop and for the Serbian to get himself in a position to shoot, and by the time he did Shkodran Mustafi was on hand to make a sliding challenge to deny him.

However, the ball broke to Gabbiadini whose low shot was saved by the legs of Cech.

The Arsenal keeper produced an even more impressive save three minutes before the break, turning over the bar as Nathan Redmond’s stinging drive from 25 yards moved in the air to arrow towards the top corner.

For all their swift breaks, their precision possession and threatening looking moves going forward, Arsenal were well contained, often guilty of wanting to take one extra pass in the final third as Saints delighted in crowding them out.

Their only effort of any note saw Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cut back to Aaron Ramsey, but he put wide from 12 yards out.

The second half was a markedly different affair as Saints’ efforts started to wilt a little as Arsenal stepped it up.

Ramsey sounded a warning shot with an effort inside the box that looked to be heading goalwards until a deflection off of teammate Danny Welbeck directed it wide.

There was no reprieve for Saints on the hour mark, however, as Mesut Ozil quickly fed the ball into the feet of Alexis Sanchez, and the striker did the rest.

His drag back in the box did for both Maya Yoshida and Jack Stephens, and bought him the space for a low shot, which brushed the leg of Fraser Forster but continued into the net.

Granit Xhaka forced Forster into a low save down to his right before Saints created an opening of their own with Ward-Prowse heading over under considerable pressure at the far post.

You could at least say that Puel, oft criticised for his substitutions, was positive in bringing on Shane Long and Sofiane Boufal and, crucially, changing the formation to try something a bit different.

It didn’t work – Boufal tried twice but blasted wide the first time and hit the side netting second time round – but at least it was an attempt at change.

The game was over seven minutes from time though as Arsenal doubled their lead.

Sadly from a Saints perspective it was all too easy for Arsenal as Sanchez lofted a ball to the far post.

Ramsey was free to head back across goal and Olivier Giroud had nobody near him from close range, and the headed finish inevitably hit the back of the net to leave Puel hoping for better in the final days of the season.