Saints salute fans as top-tier survival looks certain
FROM the home supporters on the terraces, the chant came loud and proud. ‘We are staying up,’ they cheerily sang and after this latest victory, the job is very nearly done.
Afterwards, manager Ralph Hasenhuttl delivered all the usual platitudes about mathematical permutations and counting chickens but his response on full-time gave the game away. He fist pumped the air three times and jogged onto the pitch to embrace all of his players.
For Southampton, this was a crucial result and arguably their most complete performance of the campaign. Not that Hasenhuttl was satisfied.
‘I was very critical at the break,’ the Austrian said. ‘They needed a little bit waking up.’ Still, this victory elevated Southampton to 36 points, eight clear of the drop zone and Hasenhuttl can surely now plan for a first full season in the Premier League. Southampton’s final five fixtures do not pit them against any of the Premier League’s top six team and this upwardly mobile side are now within one victory of 13th place.
It has been a remarkable effort by Hasenhuttl. The coach has restored purpose and spirit to a club that appeared to have lost all sense of direction before his arrival.
Form in this stadium was a source of dread for Mauricio Pellegrino and Mark Hughes but Hasenhuttl has revived the fanbase and the dressing room.
His players stayed behind for some ten minutes after fulltime, holding hands and sprinting towards supporters behind the goal to celebrate. Hasenhuttl took his own personal bow.
His tactical acumen is sharp, too, setting Southampton up perfectly to expose Wolves’ three-man backline, as the outstanding pair of Josh Sims and Nathan Redmond pressed the visitors into first-half errors and made darting sprints in behind. When Sims ran out of gas on the hour, Hasenhuttl intervened once more, introducing Oriol Romeu to reassert control of midfield.
‘We still speak about 40 points. I don’t celebrate staying up until then,’ the manager said. ‘But it was very good. This connection with the fans is what I work for from the first day. It’s the most beautiful moment of the weekend.’
On paper, this had the potential to be a dicey fixture for Southampton.
Wolves endured heartache at Wembley last weekend, surrendering a two-goal advantage to lose an FA Cup semi-final against Watford.
The atmosphere at Wolves’ training complex this week is said to have resembled a
morgue. Manager Nuno Espirito Santo expected a backlash from his players on the south coast, but instead witnessed one of his team’s most peculiar and slipshod performances of the season.
‘Today Southampton was better than us in almost every situation,’ Nuno said. ‘It was bad game, a bad performance.’
In just the second minute Sims scurried down the right flank and crossed low for Redmond to prod the ball into the top corner.
Southampton played at a frenetic pace and Sims, in particular, set the tone.
The 22-year-old’s bite and movement bewitched his opponents.
Slowly but surely, Wolves roused themselves and the equaliser arrived in the 28th minute, Willy Boly soaring majestically to plant a header into the top corner.
Having toiled to recover parity, Wolves imploded once more. Sims won the ball high, Danny Ings played the slide-rule pass and Redmond darted in behind and clipped beyond Rui Patricio.
It was Redmond’s eighth goal since Hasenhuttl took the reins.
The manager said: ‘We have showed him he can be the guy who makes the difference. He was very clinical. We have a special relationship.’
Another Ings pass released Sims, who sprinted clear but side-footed wide.
Wolves were by now ragged, underlined when Joao Moutinho slashed Redmond’s ankles and received a booking.
Wolves actually started the second period rather well but Southampton reimposed themselves and James Ward-Prowse’s delivery from a corner caused all manner of confusion.
Maya Yoshida sent the ball into the path of Shane Long, who tucked away the third within ten minutes of arriving as a substitute.
Yoshida was then denied a goal of his own by a superb save from Patricio but by then, the result and Southampton’s survival was no longer in doubt.