CHE IT LOUD
Adams gives Saints shout of promotion
SOUTHAMPTON sent their loudest warning yet that they are coming to crash the automatic promotion party.
Saints had looked cut adrift of Leicester, Leeds and Ipswich after a horror three defeats in four matches during February, but are now just four points off the top two after a third straight home win in a week.
After a 99th-minute winner had seen off Watford on Saturday, they were 3-0 up by half-time courtesy of a Che Adams brace – which included his 100th professional goal – and Stuart Armstrong’s fourth of the campaign.
Saints goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu pulled up in the warmup with an apparent Achilles tendon injury and was replaced by Alex McCarthy.
He fumbled a shot in his only first-half action, having not featured since a Carabao Cup shocker at Gillingham in August.
After the original date for this game was postponed due to a neighbouring fire, it had felt like the fixture was cursed.
But any jinx was broken with a Russell Martin masterclass of fast-paced keep-ball, only broken up by goals.
Adams turned the tap on by easing in Adam Armstrong’s low cross from the left in the 19th minute. He added his 17th goal of the season 10 minutes later when another elegant move saw Adams initially dummy the ball before David Brooks teed him up to coolly find the bottom corner.
Adams and Adam Armstrong both almost caught Preston keeper Freddie Woodman off his line with 35-yard efforts that landed on the roof of the net.
But the third did not take long to arrive when Duane Holmes’ fluffed clearance picked out Stuart Armstrong on the edge of the box and he sent Woodman the wrong way.
Holmes’ disaster class should have been ended by a second yellow card. Instead, it was ended out of pity by manager Ryan Lowe, who hooked him in the 39th minute.