INGS KEEPS UP HOT STREAK AS ALBION INCH TO SAFETY
TWENTY FIVE minutes separated Brighton and unchartered waters. Here, for the first time in their short Premier League history, Albion were approaching the final stretch knowing the sun loungers lay in wait. Neal Maupay’s early goal had them hurtling towards safety. And then the real Danny Ings stood up. After a string of missed chances, he struck a 20th league goal of the season to tow the visitors back towards the drop zone. After Jannik Vestergaard’s thunderbolt was tipped on to the bar by Mat Ryan, it seemed the visitors were fortunate to escape with the point that edges them ever closer to survival. But then Yves Bissouma missed a glorious chance of his own to restore the visitors’ lead. Surely they won’t come to rue that? Earlier, as the two sides finalised their preparations, news filtered through St Mary’s that Everton had bid £25million for PierreEmile Hojbjerg. The Dane has made no secret of his desire to leave Southampton — it cost him the captaincy if not yet his place. Last night he started at right back as Hasenhuttl rung the changes and, within five minutes, Hojbjerg had the perfect chance to swell his value further. After appearing to shove Solly March under a high ball, however, his shot from just inside the area was too close to Ryan. Brighton soon made him and Southampton pay, but not before they missed opportunities of their own — Maupay, Davy Propper and Leandro Trossard all failing to convert inside the first 17 minutes. When the goal did come, it was very soft. Hasenhuttl could only wander back to his bench, waving in derision, after a long throw-in landed on the head of Glenn Murray, who directed it towards Maupay. His left-footed finish wrongfooted Alex McCarthy. From there, Hasenhuttl’s frustrations only grew — Hojbjerg in particular was the target of furious tirades — and the manager’s mood wasn’t helped when a Ings ‘equaliser’ was rightly ruled out for offside.
SOUTHAMPTON (4-2-2-2): McCarthy 6; Hojbjerg 5.5, Bednarek 6.5, Vestergaard 6, Vokins 6.5; Romeu 6.5 (Walker-Peters 46, 7), WardProwse 7; Smallbone 6 (Armstrong 78, 6), Redmond 6.5; Obafemi 6 (Adams 46, 6.5), Ings 7.5
Subs not used: Gunn, Stephens,
Long, Bertrand, Maddox, Danso Scorer: Ings 66. Booked: Romeu. Manager: Ralph Hasenhuttl 6.5. BRIGHTON (3-4-1-2): Ryan 6.5; Webster 6.5, Dunk 6.5, Burn 6; Lamptey 6 (Montoya 68, 6), Stephens 6, Propper 6 (Bissouma 68, 6), March 6.5 (Mac Allister 76, 6); Trossard 6.5 (Gross 76, 6); Murray 6.5 (Mooy 59, 6), Maupay 7. Subs not used: Button, Duffy, Bernardo, Connolly. Scorer: Maupay 17. Manager: Graham Potter 6.5 Referee: Andre Marriner 6.
M BRIGHTON have agreed a £500,000 fee plus add ons for Wigan Athletic’s Jensen Weir. The cash will help crisis club Wigan to pay their players’ wages after they were placed in administration.