FOR HE’S A JOLLY GOOD FELLA
Saints sunk by Anderson double
SOUTHAMPTON on a dank Thursday evening in late December is not every Brazilian’s idea of a good night out – but Felipe Anderson is no ordinary Brazilian.
He continued his rich run of form with two stunning goals to inspire the Hammers to a riproaring comeback win and halt Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints revival.
The Samba King of the East End struck twice in the space of seven minutes to take his tally to seven in eight matches.
Injury-hit West Ham could name only six substitutes after Pablo Zabaleta was struck down by illness and Saints, bidding for a third win on the spin, came flying out of the traps.
Nathan Redmond tested Lukasz Fabianski with a longrange shot after just two minutes. Soon after Danny Ings left Angelo Ogbonna red-faced with a cheeky nutmeg before waltzing past makeshift rightback Michail Antonio and toepoking into the side-netting.
Robert Snodgrass called Saints keeper Alex McCarthy into action for the first time on 19 minutes.
He cut in from the right but his fierce shot was straight at McCarthy.
Southampton midfielder Stuart Armstrong fired wide before Lucas Perez wasted a golden chance to put the Hammers in front midway through the first half.
Aaron Cresswell drilled in a cross from the left to pick out the unmarked Perez, but he could only drag a tame shot wide from 10 yards out with the goal at his mercy. Anderson continued to pull the strings and it was his sublime 40-yard crossfield pass which started the move from which Snodgrass shot wide from the edge of the penalty area. The hosts began the second half brightly and took the lead in controversial fashion five minutes after the restart.
Fabianski did brilliantly to beat away Redmond’s initial shot, only for Oriol Romeu to help the rebound back into the six-yard box before a combination of Redmond and Ogbonna bundled the ball over the line.
The Hammers appealed in vain for offside – wrongly, as Antoni had played Redmond onside – but the Saints forward appeared to nudge the ball over the line (above) with an arm as he fell. The lead lasted just 168 seconds, Anderson thumping an unstoppable 20-yard shot into the bottom corner.
And six minutes later the comeback was complete, with Anderson finishing off an excellent breakaway.
A Southampton corner was cleared to Antonio just inside the home side’s half and he rolled the ball forward for Anderson to coolly lift it over an advancing McCarthy and into the net.
In between Anderson’s double, Fabianski made a world-class save to turn Armstrong’s 20-yard curler behind for a corner.
Anderson was denied a hat-trick by a near-post stop from McCarthy two minutes from time after another mesmerising burst into the box.
And McCarthy had to be at his best to deny the matchwinner again in stoppage time.