Sanchez's goal keeps Arsenal's top-four PL finish alive

Forward Alexis Sanchez hammered his 100th Premier League goal as Arsenal sealed a comfortable 2-0 win over Southampton to close the gap on fourth-placed Manchester City here at the St. Mary's Stadium on Thursday.

After a goalless first-half, Sanchez struck his 20th league goal of the season to put his side ahead in the 60th minute of the match, goal.com reported.

With the goal, Sanchez also became just the fifth Arsenal player to reach 20 Premier League goals in a season.

Subsequently, Olivier Giroud emerged from the bench to double his side's lead in the 83rd minute and take Arsenal fifth in the table.

Southampton, who are languishing down to the tenth spot, rarely threatened.However, their best chance to score a goal came in the first-half when Manolo Gabbiadini forced a fine save out of Petr Cech from close range.

The victory means Arsenal will move above Manchester United into fifth place and three points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.

The Arsene Wenger-led side will lock horns with Stoke City in their next Premier League clash at the Britannia Stadium on May 13.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)