Ozil calls late Arsenal win 'fortunate'

Contentious or not, Jose Fonte's late foul on Olivier Giroud handed hosts Arsenal a lifeline that it wouldn't surrender, with Santi Cazorla bagging a vital 94th-minute winner over a spirited Southampton side.

Nervy Gunners supporters would call the result a deserved one, while neutral fans would characterise it as lucky.

Midfield maestro Mesut Ozil agrees.

The German international was not his best Saturday at the Emirates despite successfully completing 85 percent of his passes in the victory, and Ozil took to Instagram after the match to share his perspective on Arsenal's irregular display.

"Tough fight (and) fortunate win. In the end it's only the 3 points that count," the World Cup winner conceded.

No stranger to dominant performances where panache and possession is not reflected in the win column, Arsenal escaped with the victory as the north London outfit dominated play, especially after the interval.

Ozil and Co. combined for 17 shots, with just two on target compared to 11 total attempts for the Saints, five of which tested Petr Cech. Pair that with 57 percent possession, and on paper, something is amiss at the Emirates.

Even in victory, the best opportunities of the second half fell to Southampton, with substitute striker Shane Long firing wide and summer signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's deflected effort narrowly thwarted by Cech.

Far from its fluid best, Arsenal can take solace in the three points while endorsing its early-season faults, especially after an embarrassing home opener defeat at the hands of Liverpool.

"When you lose your first home game, you cannot afford to drop points in the second home game because it creates a little bit of anxiety at home and that’s not what we really want," Arsene Wenger said post-match.

"If we can put a few wins together, of course that will help us to be more confident and to get to a very fluent level like we want to play."