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Southampton 2 Everton 1 | Talking Points

A strong Southampton performance saw them beat Everton 2-1 in a crucial home fixture, moving them three points clear of the relegation zone.

Southampton started the game the brighter of the two sides as the pace from Nathan Redmond and Danny Ings put Everton’s back four under some early pressure. Jordan Pickford made a superb save low down, denying Ings’ headed effort from a Southampton corner on the 15 minute mark. 

In a first half in which Everton dominated the possession, they did nothing to threaten the Saints back five. Southampton themselves spurned too many chances in the opening 45 minutes, with Ings and Redmond being at the centre of the action. 

Redmond clipped the post after outpacing the Everton defenders and a tackle from Andre Gomes on Ings in the box saw the ball deflect onto the post and back out.



Everton started the second half brightly and Gylfi Sigurdsson’s placed header forced Alex McCarthy into his first save of the day. 

Against the run of play early in the half Everton were halted once more as James Ward-Prowse drove to the edge of the box and unleashed a perfectly placed shot out of the reach of Pickford giving his side the lead. 

Southampton then doubled their lead after a freak occurrence. A pass through Everton’s defence saw Redmond break through. As Lucas Digne caught up and tackled the forward, his deflected touch from outside the box curled it beyond Pickford and into the bottom corner.

Tempers flared showing Everton’s frustrations as Idrissa Gana Gueye and Redmond had an altercation over very little. 

Everton never looked like they could get back into the fixture and it was Southampton who looked most likely to get another goal. Substitute Shane Long forced a stretching save from the England number one. 

That was until Gylfi Sigurdsson’s neatly placed strike in the 90th minute made it 2-1. Everton then piled on the pressure as the referee played seven additional minutes. Three minutes more than he initially added.

However, Everton could not earn a point and Southampton held on to pick up three crucial points. 

Meanwhile, Marco Silva’s woes continue, but the three points were well deserved for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side and are crucial to their efforts to make St. Mary’s a fortress. 

Home form crucial for Saints in coming weeks

Hasenhuttl’s side’s next three fixtures at St. Mary’s are against Crystal Palace, Cardiff and Fulham. These are three games that Southampton must pick up points in if they are to move towards the safety zone.

After a well deserved three points against Everton, Saints fans will feel they are on their way to safety. If they play how they did today they are likely to pick up points against relegation rivals and surely move towards safety. 

Ineffective Everton prove their inconsistency is a problem 

After an assured 2-0 win over Bournemouth last weekend, keeping their first clean sheet in eight, Everton looked ineffective against Southampton this time out. 

Marco Silva’s side never looked like scoring despite making three attacking substitutes, and fans must find the constant case of inconsistency frustrating. If the Toffees are to chase seventh place this season then they need to turn things around.

Richarlison was physically forced out of the game against Southampton’s solid back three and never worked a chance for himself. Silva did make offensive changes, introducing Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott, but the side only amounted two shots on target. A dismal effort against a team who are near the bottom of the table. 

Two very different goals seal the victory for Southampton 

In a relegation battle, Southampton will take any points however they may come. The Saints were clearly the better side today and caught Everton out on both of their goals.



The goals that gave them victory were at two opposite ends of the quality scale. Ward-Prowse’s solo run, sealed by a brilliant strike, will be contender for goal of the month, whereas their second was completely bizarre and fans will most likely never see something like that happen again this season. 

What went right for Saints and wrong for the Toffees?

What was key to Saints victory was not only their solid defence but their excellent attacking display. Redmond and Ings constantly pressured Michael Keane and Kurt Zouma and balls through the middle and over the top often saw the centre-back combination outpaced.

This is where Everton struggled to get going all day. The constant pressure from their opposition meant they were rarely composed on the ball and looked very vulnerable at the back. The first goal saw Ward-Prowse storm through the middle of the pitch without any pressure, showing how exposed their defence was throughout the 90 minutes. 

Man of the Match – Nathan Redmond

While Jannick Vestergaard put in a terrific display at the back and Ward-Prowse scored an excellent goal, Nathan Redmond’s effort throughout his time on the pitch was superb. He pressed the back four of Everton and caused problems both through the middle and out wide. He was the player who set the tone for his side’s terrific performance. 

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