IT’S ROUT OF OUR SYSTEM
Ralph gets revenge for 9-0 trashing by Foxes
Ralph Hasenhuttl hailed his Southampton stars as they avenged a 9-0 doing by taking down secondplaced Leicester.
Stuart Armstrong and Danny Ings were on target as Saints performed an amazing turnaround.
Hasenhuttl’s job was on the line after that home humiliation back in October but he reckons that was the club’s most important result of the season.
Since then Saints have regrouped and a third Premier League win in a row has lifted them up to 12th.
Hasenhuttl’s players gathered in front of Saints fans at the end of the game and he admitted they owed the supporters. The Austrian said: “After the 9-0 loss we changed completely in our mind and worked so hard to play in a good way.
“It was a fantastic game and our best away display of the season. It was so intense from both sides.”
Southampton’s victory was all the more remarkable when you consider Dennis Praet tapped the Foxes ahead in just 14 minutes.
But ex- Celtic star Armstrong fired in an equaliser five minutes later, with the help of a deflection off James Maddison.
Hotshot Ings was twice denied by the bar before the break but made it 10 goals in 10 league starts when he slotted through Kasper Schmeichel’s legs late on.
Leicester thought they had salvaged a draw with a 90th-minute equaliser from Jonny Evans but VAR ruled it out for offside.
Earlier Saints were awarded a penalty when Caglar Soyuncu bundled Shane Long over in the box but VAR also overturned that decision on an offside call.
Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers said: “We weren’t quite at it today and didn’t press well enough. We made too many mistakes and weren’t good enough defensively.
“We expected a reaction from Southampton, all credit to them.”
So the 9- 0 T- shirts have been consigned to the bin and it’s the Saints who go marching on.