Substitute Olivier Giroud glanced in a superb late header to salvage a point after the Gunners had trailed since the third minute.

“In the last two weeks unfortunately we are losing points after a bad start,” said Wenger, who saw his side concede twice in the first 11 minutes of the 3-1 defeat by Manchester United eight days previously.

“I felt that the Manchester United game played a bit of a part in the head of our defenders,” he said.

“They were a bit apprehensive to start well again and that’s why it is sometimes not good to talk about the problem because you create a bigger one.”

Charlie Austin clipped home an early opener for the home side with the away defence mere onlookers.

The Southampton striker also drilled a stinging shot into Petr Cech’s gloves shortly after and then hit the post from an offside position.

A sharp save from Aaron Ramsey apart, Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster had little to do as the visitors struggled to carve out clear-cut chances before Giroud climbed above Virgil van Dijk to steer home Alexis Sanchez’s cross and make Arsenal’s possession finally pay.

Indeed Southampton were left to rue several wasted chances on the counter attack, with Ryan Bertrand missing a fine opportunity and Oriel Romeu’s long-range effort glancing off the bar in the second half.

A draw moves Arsenal level on points but behind on goal difference to fourth-placed Liverpool, who play in Sunday afternoon’s Merseyside derby. Southampton break into the top half of the table, leapfrogging Huddersfield and Everton into 10th.

Arsenal’s dominance over Manchester United in their last league game came to nothing after a slow start full of individual errors gave them too much ground to make up.

Arsene Wenger made one change from that line-up, but Per Mertesacker’s inclusion did not remove that flaw at St Mary’s.

The German centre-back gave possession away cheaply and was made to pay as Dusan Tadic’s cute reverse ball picked out Austin, who clinically found the net.

It could easily have been worse for the Gunners in the opening 10 minutes too, as the visiting defence lacked any cohesion or organisation collectively.

Individually, Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal failed to track runners or show the commitment of the Saints attackers.

Just as against United, Arsenal spent plenty of time on the ball in the second half, with 70% possession after the break – but moments of real concern for the Southampton defence were rare before Giroud’s equaliser.

The Frenchman’s celebration, pointing to the name on the back of his shirt, might have been a reminder to his manager that he is available from the start. He has scored four league goals in 13 substitute appearances during this campaign yet is still to make his first start.

Wenger said afterwards that he considered Giroud “a regular player” with “the right attitude and ability”.

Like Giroud, Austin is another striker making a case for more game time.

The 28-year-old, in only his third league start of the season, showed the clinical finishing touch that the Saints lacked in scoring only nine goals in their opening 12 games.

After clipping over Cech for the opener, he brought a good save from the Arsenal goalkeeper and hit the post from an offside position as he ran the Gunners ragged in the opening 10 minutes.

He has spent much of the season behind Shane Long and Manolo Gabbiadini in Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrino’s thoughts, but eight goals in his last 11 league starts and an overall strike rate of a goal every 80 minutes in this season’s top flight are a robust case for his inclusion.

Indeed if it continues, England manager Gareth Southgate might yet take note with a view to next summer’s World Cup.

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Ozil scored one goal and provided two assists as Arsenal made it seven wins from seven Premier League home games this season.

The midfielder, who has been linked with a move away in January, is showing a different side to his game, according to Wenger.

“Nobody has to convince us he’s a great football player,” said the Frenchman.

“Everybody knows in the stadium he’s a great football player, but at the moment as well he shows he can fight.

“When you look at the percentage of possession during a game, no matter what the game is, he always wants the ball. He never hides, he’s always available.”

Alexandre Lacazette gave Arsenal an early lead with a confident finish after being put through by Aaron Ramsey’s clever flick.

The visitors went close to an equaliser when Petr Cech pushed Steve Mounie’s shot onto the bar not long after the restart, but Arsenal scored three goals in four minutes to end Huddersfield’s hopes of getting a surprise result.

Ozil played a one-two with Alexis Sanchez before the former teed up substitute Olivier Giroud to convert from six yards out.

Soon after, Sanchez made it three with a volley from Ozil’s lofted pass.

Ozil capped a superb individual display with a goal, placing the ball beyond Huddersfield goalkeeper Jonas Lossl after being put through by Ramsey, before Giroud’s close-range finish in the final minutes completed the rout.

“Ozil is unstoppable against this sort of opposition,” said former Arsenal striker Ian Wright on Match of the Day.

“He is energised at the moment and he has so much ability. He’s a beautiful player to watch.”

Arsenal, who remain fourth, host second-placed Manchester United on Saturday, while Huddersfield drop to 14th.

Arsenal’s superb home run continues

The Gunners had won their 11 previous Premier League games on home soil prior to the visit of Huddersfield, a run stretching back to April.

Against a side that had not won away from home since the opening game of the season, win number 12 for the hosts always seemed likely, a view that was only enhanced when Lacazette struck after just three minutes.

The early goal hinted at a long night for the visitors, but Arsenal – initially – failed to build on it. They laboured for more than an hour against a disciplined Terriers side, misplacing passes in defence and leaving gaps that more clinical sides than Huddersfield would have exploited.

But when the second goal arrived on 68 minutes, the Huddersfield defence wilted and, with Giroud also hitting the post and Sanchez shooting over from close range, the win could have been even more comprehensive.

The victory for Arsenal, who have now scored 20 goals in seven home games and conceded just four, sets them up nicely for the visit of Jose Mourinho’s side this weekend. Should the Gunners win that game then they will move to within a point of United.

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The Uruguayan, 27, travelled down to the ceremony after the Reds’ 2-0 defeat at home to Chelsea earlier in the day.

“The Premier League is full of really great players and so it is a great honour when these players recognise your work on the pitch,” Suarez said.

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard was voted Young Player of the Year.

Suarez’s strike partner Daniel Sturridge, 24, and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard joined him in the Premier League Team of the Year, along with three Chelsea players – goalkeeper Petr Cech, defender Gary Cahill and midfielder Eden Hazard.

The line-up was completed by Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure, Southampton left-back Luke Shaw and midfielder Adam Lallana, plus Everton right-back Seamus Coleman.

Liverpool defender Lucy Bronze was named the Women’s Players’ Player of the Year while her team-mate Martha Harris was voted the Young Player of the Year.

The award capped a remarkable rehabilitation for Suarez who is the Premier League’s top scorer this season with 30 goals, despite missing six games at the start of the season as part of a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic last April.

Suarez added: “I always try my best for the team and it is nice to get awards but really this is for my team-mates and the staff at Liverpool because without their help I wouldn’t have this prize.”

His named was booed when it was read out at last year’s ceremony as he was beaten to the award by Tottenham’s Gareth Bale, just days after his ban for biting started.

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers stuck by him during his suspension but the Uruguayan’s Anfield career appeared to be in doubt when in August he claimed that Liverpool had reneged on an agreement to let him leave if they failed to qualify for the Champions League.

Arsenal had two summer bids turned down for Suarez – the second an offer of £40m plus one pound, which was an attempt to trigger a clause the Gunners believed was in the 26-year-old’s contract,

Suarez returned to the team after his ban ended and scored 19 goals in 13 games to help fire the Merseyside club into contention for their first league title in 24 years.

He signed a new four-and-a-half-year contract with Liverpool in December and admitted his close bond with Liverpool’s fans was an important factor in his decision, particularly their backing during his biting ban.

Hazard, 23, who did not play against Liverpool on Sunday through injury, said of his individual prize: “It’s always good to win awards because it means you’ve had a good season, but I prefer to win things collectively.

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Chelsea needed to claw back PSG’s 3-1 advantage from the first leg and Andre Schurrle – on as an early substitute for the injured Eden Hazard – gave them hope with a first-half goal.

And with only three minutes left Ba, another substitute, bundled the ball home from six yards to make the decisive contribution and spark wild celebrations as the Premier League side went through on away goals.

Mourinho, in scenes reminiscent of his famous sprint down the Old Trafford touchline in 2004 when Porto knocked out Manchester United on the way to winning the Champions League, raced to join his players as they mobbed Ba.

He then pulled players from the celebrating pile to issue some final orders as the Blues held out to complete the turnaround.

Ba’s finish came just as Chelsea looked to be on the way out after Schurrle and Oscar were both denied by the woodwork – although the London side were helped by a crucial miss from the normally reliable Edinson Cavani minutes before the decisive goal.

And goalkeeper Petr Cech, heavily criticised after that first-leg loss, redeemed himself with a superb save from Marquinhos in stoppage time to prevent PSG snatching the tie back at the very last.

It will be Mourinho’s third Champions League semi-final in charge of Chelsea – and he will be hoping it proves third time lucky after losing his previous two to Liverpool.

With a Premier League title challenge still very much on, this season holds the promise of serial winner Mourinho adding at least one more trophy to his collection.

The Portuguese was able to recall fit-again Samuel Eto’o in attack but suffered the major setback of losing Hazard to injury early on – although substitute Schurrle more than made his mark.

It was the German who gave the hosts the lift of the crucial opening goal after 32 minutes. Visiting boss Laurent Blanc was left furious after his defence failed to deal with Branislav Ivanovic’s routine long throw, as Schurrle had time and space in the area to sweep home from David Luiz’s touch.

PSG had shown little attacking ambition without the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic and continued to hand the initiative to Chelsea at the start of the second half, when only the woodwork stopped the Blues levelling the tie on aggregate, backed up by that crucial away goal in Paris.

Schurrle was unlucky to see his effort beat keeper Salvatore Sirigu and rebound off the bar, while Oscar suffered a similar fate with a 20-yard free-kick seconds later.

Cech had been little more than an observer to this point but had to show great athleticism to turn away Ezequiel Lavezzi’s angled effort.

Mourinho made an attacking change with 24 minutes left, Ba getting the nod ahead of Fernando Torres to provide extra threat when Frank Lampard was replaced.

As PSG tried to cash in on Chelsea’s increasing urgency, Cavani – of whom little had been seen – hinted at his danger with a powerful volley that flew narrowly over.

The Uruguayan then had an even better chance to kill Chelsea off when he was released by a magnificent pass from former Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye. The entire PSG bench were off their feet in anticipation as Cavani raced through, only for the striker to fire over the top with just Cech to beat.

As the game entered its last 10 minutes Mourinho played his final card, sending on Torres for the tiring Oscar, but it was Ba who was the man on the spot to provide that dramatic finale and ensure a place in Friday’s semi-final draw.

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