Arsenal's title chances fade with dismal home stalemate vs. Southampton

Arsenal hosted Southampton at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League hoping for a reverse of fortune from a 4-0 Boxing Day defeat to the Saints, but looked nothing like a title hopeful.

The goalless draw means Arsenal drops to fourth, putting it five points adrift of Leicester City and behind hated rivals Tottenham on goal differential.

Here are three takeaways from Tuesday's goalless stalemate:

Arsenal is mired in a dismal run of form

Sitting atop the Premier League table the day after Christmas with a fortuitous 2016 on the horizon, Arsenal has played like a bottom-half side over its last four matches.

A notoriously dynamic attack has withered, with the club failing to score in any of its last three league matches as the north Londoners slide to fourth in the table despite littering the Saints' goal with attempts.

The last time Arsenal failed to score in three Premier League matches on the bounce was in February 2009.

Fraser Forster is back

Making just his fourth league start of the year following a patella tendon injury suffered last March against Burnley, Southampton 'keeper Fraser Forster has returned to the form that prompted his call-up to the English national team in 2013.

In the opening stanza, Forster was the difference, denying Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil twice. On one occasion, Ozil cradled 45-yard long ball with one touch before firing at the rangy 'keeper, who brilliantly stuck out an arm to rebuff the goal-scoring chance.

Moments after the interval, Forster did it again, diving to parry away a curling effort from Olivier Giroud to keep the scoreline intact. The England international denied Giroud for a second time in the 56th minute, lunging to his left to catch an incisive header from the French international.

Forster was a delight in front of a back four that was equally outstanding, with the 'keeper facing 21 shots - 10 of which were on target - with none finding their way into the back of the Southampton net.

His acrobatic save on Alexis Sanchez in the 84th minute was nothing short of world class.

Arsene Wenger paid for his team sheet risk

Instead of opting for the same deep-lying midfield duo of Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin who starred in an FA Cup defeat of Burnley on Saturday, Arsene Wenger instead selected Aaron Ramsey and Mathieu Flamini.

Simply put, Flamini wouldn't start for a side with realistic title ambitions and Ramsey has been so out of form that he'd be dropped if it weren't for long-term injuries to Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla.

Ramsey converted 83 percent of his passes, which isn't terribly poor, but his lack of influence has more bearing than any statistic can provide, especially as new boy Elneny was rested after playing one competitive match in a month. It was a bit of a head-scratcher.

Coquelin came on for Flamini five minutes from time, but it was too little, too late for the Gunners.

Leicester City, Manchester City, and Tottenham each nabbed three points on a day when Arsenal was thwarted by a subpar 'keeper and its own futility.