Mikel Arteta’s side, who were already under a lot of pressure after a miserable run of results in England’s top flight, got off to as bad a start as Walcott could put through with Che Adams in the 18th minute.
The 31-year-old England player, who spent 12 years with the Gunners, kept his cool and ran the ball over Bernd Leno to open the scoring before retiring and celebrating with Saints team-mates on his old land.
Walcott could not hide his pleasure after breaking the deadlock and smiled from ear to ear while Ralph Hasenhuttl’s players swam around at the eerily silent Emirates.
Unsurprisingly, Walcott’s response was not downplayed by fans of the north London club, who infuriated Twitter and accused the attacker of showing a lack of respect. after the strike.
Bukayo Saka Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang established when Arsenal found an equalizer shortly after half-time before the guests put themselves back in the leg, with Gabriel giving his march orders for the second offense recorded in the 62nd minute.
Nathan Redmond and Rob Holding both hit the crossbar at the tight end of the game but were unable to find either side a winner and the points were shared.
As a result, Southampton hold on to fourth place for the time being, and Arsenal remain 15th ahead of their trip to Everton next weekend.
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