Sub VydraBurnley blows away sad Saints
NOT even the power of Storm Dennis could deny Matej Vydra his moment of glory.
The swirling wind and driving rain had made any kind of consistently flowing football impossible at St Mary’s Stadium.
There were occasional glimpses of skill as the elements made any kind of long pass a lottery… sometimes the ball falling short, more often than not travelling too far.
But on the hour came the cameo from Vydra. Jeff Hendrick hit a superbly-weighted 35-yard pass and the Czech international gathered possession, accelerated to the left and produced an unstoppable effort that left Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy helpless.
‘The lads were buzzing for him in the dressing room afterwards,’ said Burnley manager Seam Dyche.
‘He has had to be patient and wait for his chance and he has done that. There was talking of him leaving in the January transfer window. Not from me there wasn’t. I want him here.’
It was a goal worthy of winning any match. It was a goal in need of a game. Storm Dennis saw to that.
The weather played its part inside the first two minutes after Burnley forced a corner.
Ashley Westwood drove the ball low and hard and Southampton striker Danny Ings, guarding the near post, assumed it was going straight out for a goal kick.
For someone who habitually knows his way around a penalty area, Ings got it terribly wrong as he watched in horror as the ball flew into the Southampton net.
‘He thought it was going wide,’ said Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl. Ings is far more at home at the other end of the pitch and he showed that in the 18th minute.
He shuffled across the edge of the area and then produced a stunning finish to leave Nick Pope with no chance. It was Ings’ 15th Premier League goal of the season.
James Tarkowski and Ben Mee had to be at their commanding best to subdue Ings. Tarkowski in particular dealt with every ball flung into the Burnley area during Southampton’s late revival.
And so it was Vydra’s day. He started the day on the bench. Not even an injury to regular first choice Ashley Barnes could earn him a starting place. It is a role with which Vydra is familiar. Yesterday was his 19th appearance for Burnley and 16 have been as a substitute. Indeed it was an injury to Chris Wood that provided his opening yesterday. He took his chance and the message from Dyche was clear: ‘Up to you now.’
Dyche said: ‘He is a great professional and, look, no one likes to see their name off the team sheet. But he trains well, works hard and when you get the chance you have to take it.’ Vydra certainly did that. And Southampton paid the price for not making the most of their first-half superiority. The closest they came was when Jack Stephens hit the bar with a glancing header.
True, Burnley had to survive a late scare when the ball was driven against Ben Mee’s arm. A VAR check ratified the decision of referee Simon Hooper to award a corner. ‘I didn’t think it was a penalty,’ said Dyche. ‘But the way some decisions have gone, you just don’t know. I just hope there is a way in the future they can streamline the process without a long wait.’
‘I don’t talk about VAR,’ said Hasenhuttl. He has enough on his plate at the moment to be fair – namely Southampton’s home form and a growing injury list of key players. Winger Nathan Redmond will be out for at least a month.