Redmond can take Liberty
DARREN MOORE has turned West Brom from relegation certainties to outsiders for survival and the caretaker manager believes his side have also captured the hearts of the neutrals.
A dramatic late goal on an eventful day at the foot of the Premier League ensured Moore’s side took their survival fight into the final week of the season – no small feat for a team who were 10 points adrift of safety when their former defender took charge.
Only a draw between Swansea and Southampton tomorrow would give the Baggies a chance of staying up with a win in their final game of the season at Crystal Palace on Sunday.
But after overseeing a fivegame unbeaten reign, including three victories, Moore is sleeping more soundly than ever.
“People have been coming up to me saying, ‘Well done’,” said Moore. “And I am talking about neutral supporters as well. I am really pleased for the club that we’ve captured the hearts of the nation really with what we’re doing here.
“But we just have to keep the focus and get back to work next week.
“When I do sleep, I don’t half sleep heavily. My alarm seems to wake me up all the time now because I go into a deep sleep – a lot deeper than before.
“But we’ll just continue to work hard and evaluate this NATHAN REDMOND showed in a secondhalf cameo at Goodison Park that he has the talent to help keep Southampton in the Premier League.
That chance will come at Swansea tomorrow and the Saints forward is all too aware of the high-stakes nature of the Liberty Stadium clash.
Five months on from a very public dressing down from title-winning manager Pep Guardiola following the Saints’ loss at Manchester City, Redmond scored his first goal in almost a year.
Guardiola had claimed he was merely telling Redmond what an admirer he is of the 24-year-old, as he seemed to berate him on the Etihad pitch after the final whistle.
And the manner in which Redmond buried a crucial header, 11 minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute on Saturday, suggests Guardiola was right. Saints were eventually undone by a
EVERTON SOUTHAMPTON
cruel, deflected Tom Davies strike in injurytime but the point was enough to lift them out of the bottom three and set up the visit to Swansea in which a win for Mark Hughes’s side will effectively keep them up.
Redmond said: “This is two points we’re going to feel that we’ve lost but it’s a point and makes Tuesday even bigger.
“You saw the fans today, they were fantastic, and as long as they’re still backing us we’re going to keep fighting for them.
“It’s a massive game for us and Swansea but we’ve turned in two massive performances over the past week – Bournemouth and today – and we need another one on Tuesday. Anything less is not going to cut it.”
REMAINING GAMES – Everton: Southampton: