The festive season is well under­way, which meant Boxing Day soccer in the Premiership on Saturday. The likes of Stoke, Spurs and Manchester City showed no ill effects from any Christmas Day indulgences, while Manchester United and Arsenal showed off some unintentional generosity by gifting their opponents easy points.

Arsenal's victory over Manchester City a week ago had propelled them into the role of title favorites, but the shocking 4-0 thrashing by Southampton Saturday saw them brought back down to earth. At best, it was an aberration, given that they are still in the midst of an injury crisis. At worst, it was a return to the past when they had a reputation for losing their nerve under pressure and succumbing in meek and embarrassing fashion. Arsenal just never like to make it easy for themselves. See the Champions League group stages this season.

That this was a Southampton side which had lost five of their previous six games was a sign that maybe it was less a problem of nerves than of complacency. Or perhaps tiredness, given that manager Arsene Wenger has played virtually the same starters for the past three Premiership games. Arsenal are still without key starters Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin, as well as several vital squad members.

Wenger tried to blame the loss on the referee for overlooking slightly dodgy fouls on three of Southampton's goals, but it is clear the Gunners were second best.

What should worry Wenger is that the team was fully outclassed, with the defense unable to contain Southampton's Shane Long, who scored twice, and the midfield dominated by their Saints' counterparts. ­Mesut Ozil, who had been sensational up to this point and leads the league with 15 assists, was almost anonymous. As a result, Arsenal could not conjure up any offensive success. This is the kind of game where Coquelin and Cazorla are sorely missed.

As bad as it was, the Gunners' loss was in line with the weekend's action, which saw Stoke outclass Manchester United 2-0 and Watford battle to a 2-2 draw with Chelsea, who, before Monday night's games, are only two points off the final relegation place. Surprise leaders and thrill package Leicester also lost to Liverpool for their first Premiership defeat in 11 games and only their second of the season.

Despite all this, the top-four order remained exactly the same with the highest change being Crystal Palace moving ahead of United into fifth.

The Gunners need to get maximum points from their next two games to prevent this defeat from marking the end of their title push this season.

The author is a Beijing-based writer. hcpyip@gmail.com