Rarely can a 96th-minute equaliser have been met with such indifference. Southampton should have been out of Arsenal’s sight as added time ticked down, but the problem when someone such as Alexandre Lacazette remains on the pitch is that a moment’s inattention can bring swift punishment. So when the centre-forward capitalised on hesitant defending from Gabriel Martinelli’s cross, jabbing high into the net to restore parity for the second time in the game, the relief around the Emirates should have been palpable.

Instead the response was muted to the point of eye-rolling. Lacazette’s acknowledgement of the salvage act was minimal as he stood motionless inside the penalty area, his teammates similarly reluctant to pile in with any celebrations. It almost felt awkward but it only took another couple of minutes to find out what the home crowd really thought. The decibel level of the boos made that perfectly clear and, had the away side held on for the outcome they deserved, the consequence would surely have been all-out mutiny.

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But Unai Emery lurches on, even if the Arsenal board’s publicly stated confidence in the head coach appears to put them firmly in the minority. Except for a 20-minute spell after half-time that Emery labelled their best of the season, this was the passive and pallid fare that has become wearyingly familiar to supporters and it came in sharp contrast to the zesty, ambitious performance produced by a Southampton side that should have been similarly low on confidence.

A crestfallen Ralph Hasenhüttl lamented that his side had not scored “three, four or five goals”. They should have managed at least two more after James Ward-Prowse, following up when Bernd Leno saved his penalty, restored their advantage in the 71st minute. However the substitute Moussa Djenepo twice spurned glorious opportunities. One was cleared by Joe Willock and the other placed wastefully wide; there were other chances too and Hasenhüttl had a point when he said that, from the 70th minute onwards, “only we played”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest James Ward-Prowse celebrates putting Southampton ahead. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

That applied to the early stages too. Southampton roared out of the traps and looked nothing like a team that, a month ago, were a laughing stock after shipping nine against Leicester. They fully deserved the lead given to them by Danny Ings, who was alert when Ryan Bertrand slipped him through with a quickly taken free-kick and finished well. Arsenal’s defence had dozed off and Ings, an almighty pest throughout, could have doubled his tally soon afterwards with a half-volley that flashed over.

When Lacazette capitalised on his side’s first real moment of menace, lashing in after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s effort had been blocked, any remaining optimists of an Arsenal persuasion might have glimpsed an end to their four-game winless run in the league. But a chance to build some goodwill was spurned, and Emery clearly knew it.

“We lost a very good opportunity to connect with our supporters,” he said. “I understand the supporters. They are now frustrated, disappointed and angry, and also the players are feeling the same.”

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For a while, after Nicolas Pépé’s half-time introduction forced an initially conservative-looking selection on to the front foot, Arsenal looked capable of forging positive vibes. Pépé, still searching for his first goal from open play, hit a bouncing volley against the bar and Alex McCarthy saved from Aubameyang at close quarters. But Southampton remained a threat and Ward-Prowse was given his chance when Kieran Tierney tugged back Ings after the impressive 19-year-old forward Michael Obafemi had again done well.

That flurry of openings for the visitors followed, and in one sense it is a wonder Arsenal gathered themselves to respond after being so firmly on the ropes. But Emery acknowledged the lack of enthusiasm shown by Lacazette and company at the end was “an example of how they felt” and admitted that everyone involved must improve quickly.

“I know I can do better,” Emery said. “I can take more performances from the players and I’m going to try to do that.” On this evidence he had better show he can in short order.