THERE was a lot to unpack from Friday night’s game at Arsenal – one of the craziest Premier League fixtures of this 11-year Saints era.

Saints led for 86 minutes of the contest but – with a two-goal advantage in the closing stages – the title-chasing Gunners fought back to 3-3.

The result means Saints remain bottom of the Premier League and missed a chance to climb ahead of Leicester City.

Here are our three biggest takeaways from the match…

Charly Alcaraz might be a phenomenal player

Daily Echo: Charly Alcaraz was the best player on the pitch in the first period of an eventual 3-3 draw

What a 45 minutes from the 20 year old Argentine. Absolutely pulsating stuff from the first minute to the last of his half at Emirates Stadium showed everything he is about.

Alcaraz enacted exactly what Ruben Selles wanted to step up and snatch from a lazy pass out by Aaron Ramsdale and open the scoring inside 30 seconds – his third goal.

His through ball to Theo Walcott was splitting and incisive and indicative of his attitude to always wanting to push the team forward and bravery to risk losing the ball.

His aggressiveness – which makes football more exciting to watch and lifts the tempo of your team – was demonstrated in his yellow card and then early substitution by Selles.

His sheer will to positively impact the game, in any way he can, was shown as he backtracked three or four yards to excellently head off the line in added time.

I almost wish he did not play quite that well at the league leaders in front of the Sky Sports cameras in order to not alert other Premier League clubs to his abilities.

Alcaraz might become the most important player in this Saints squad over the next year, depending on how it evolves.

He is raw and Selles clearly still feels that in certain areas he cannot be trusted – but he offers something direct, determined and clinical that nobody else does.

Jan Bednarek owes no more apologies

Daily Echo: Saints and Jan Bednarek during their 3-3 draw with Arsenal.

The Polish international’s Saints career looked as good as dead and buried when he left for Aston Villa on loan over the summer window.

His comments of joining a ‘bigger club’ seemed to burn any remaining bridges with the St Mary’s faithful – but he made a shock January return due to Nathan Jones.

The Daily Echo asked Bednarek about his comments and he admitted he probably said too much but reiterated his objective to keep Saints in the Premier League.

Bednarek has not been without errors – even this season – in a Saints shirt but we have seen something unique in the defender since his resurgence began.

After seemingly breaking his ribs on the pitch against Tottenham Hotspur (hospital checks confirmed he was okay later on) he was left in a heap on the pitch for minutes.

He tried to play on until he physically could not. He did the same thing against Arsenal after Gabriel Martinelli backed into the 26 year old mid-flight.

Bednarek pleaded with the medical team and then with Selles – from all the way across the pitch – to keep playing, but the decision was taken out of his hands.

Even then, he was later seen climbing out of the dugout during a pause in play to give substitutes Duje Caleta-Car and Lyanco a much-needed pep talk.

Bednarek is not the best defender to ever play for the club and he probably will not go down as the most popular – but I do not think he owes any more apologies. He cares.

We still need evidence of a winning mentality

Daily Echo:

As difficult as it is to be really critical of this young Saints group, who took Arsenal all the way and picked up a point at the league leaders, we have to be balanced.

Almost everything up to the 87th minute was as perfect as you could hope it to be. Supporters were given the fight they are so desperate to see.

But the truth is they were two goals ahead with three minutes left in a Premier League game, sitting bottom of the table, and managed to not win.

It was their game to lose at that point – and they almost did. I do not think tactics or strategy were a determining factor – I would argue they were almost perfect.

Kyle Walker-Peters and Romain Perraud were being – understandably – destroyed by Bukayo Saka and Martinelli until the change to a five-back to offer more cover.

What happened was the untold pressure of title-chasing, world-class players pounding down the door was too much for this Saints squad.

They will need to show that, this time, they can follow up what is ultimately another good result against a big team with one in a relegation six-pointer.

They are still without a win in seven and, if they are to stand any chance of survival, that has to change on Thursday night against AFC Bournemouth.