NO CHE BACK!
Ex-blade kills off any hopes of survival for Wilder
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We looked tired in body and mind in the second half. We chased it, but in the end Ramsdale kept the score down
shot as Saints punished United for not clearing their lines.
It condemned Wilder’s men to their 22nd defeat of a dreadful season – and it was a loss that felt pivotal with just 10 games of the season to go.
By contrast, for Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl it was a dream day as he celebrated his 100th game in charge.
It’s been a rough ride at times but Adams – and impressive young striker Nathan Tella – made it a day to remember as the Saints stopped the rot with a first win in 10 league games.
“The first win after a long time is always important. I think it was deserved. It feels good,” said the Austrian boss.
“The team did what we had to do against a side fighting for everything. We could have scored more. That’s the only thing I could criticise.
“When you don’t have your first team on the pitch it’s always tough. We don’t have such a big squad.
“When you get them back, you automatically feel more confident. You can work on a
things we showed in the first half of the season.
“There are still a lot of games to go. It’s important we can turn it round now.”
Having failed to score in eight of their previous 13 matches, it looked a damaging blow for Southampton when Danny Ings went down just minutes into the game but manof-the-match Tella stepped up and made sure the Saints didn’t miss Ings who was replaced by Adams.
Tella was only making his second start. But from the off he showed his sharpness with a snapshot that sailed over with Aaron Ramsdale stranded after Enda Stevens had only half-cleared a punt forward by Jannik Vestergaard.
And it wasn’t long before Southampton were ahead.
Ibrahima Diallo launched a pass for Tella who was sent tumbling by Ethan Ampadu to leave Paul Tierney pointing to the spot. James Wardfew
Prowse fired home the spot-kick – and the Saints never looked back.
Adams killed the game off in the 49th minute – but as United chased the game Saints should have scored more.
Liverpool loanee Takumi Minamino and Stuart Armstrong were guilty of late misses on a bad day for Wilder, who has accepted his stars are going down.
“The better side won,” said Wilder.
“We looked tired in body and mind second half and gave away a really poor second goal after three or four mistakes.
“It looked a game too far for us. We chased it and had a go but in the end Ramsdale kept the scoreline down.”
ANDRE AYEW won the game from a 97th-minute penalty controversial enough to have brought a curse from Mother Teresa.
So you can imagine how it went down with Neil Warnock.
The Middlesbrough boss flew into a red-mist rage, fierce even by his standards, after referee Gavin Ward changed his mind having awarded a corner before pointing to the spot after a delay.
Warnock claimed officials were somehow being influenced by Swans head coach Steve Cooper’s father, Keith, a former Premier League official.
The game was 1-1 and heading for a draw when Swansea substitute Jake Bidwell went down under a challenge from George Saville.
History repeated itself inside four days as Ayew had won the game at Stoke last time out from a penalty call that was just as harsh and hotly disputed.
Former Cardiff manager Warnock, who can expect to be in hot water with the FA after his latest blast, said: “Swansea must be laughing their heads off at the minute but what goes around comes around. I’m sure we’ll see Swansea next year.
“They can’t keep having that much luck with penalties. I don’t know if it’s Cooper’s dad whose influencing this. He must have all the numbers. It’s the only thing I can think of but, joking apart, they can’t keep having decisions like that.
“I’m a little bit bewildered about the penalty. He pointed for a corner kick but he assures me that when he thought about it he thought George didn’t get any of the ball and he thought it was a penalty. I asked ‘Why did you point to the corner flag? Were you guessing?’.”
Asked about Warnock’s claim over his father influencing officials, Cooper said: “All I care about is ourselves.
“I am not interested in other clubs, I never have been. I just make sure we keep our values and our class.”
The Swans have now had three penalties in their last three matches – two to win the game in stoppage time – after previously going 25 matches without one.
Ayew had given the Swans the lead with a predator’s volley in the 40th minute after Boro had been the dominant side.
Warnock’s mood darkened when Marc Bola struck what appeared to be a superb leveller two minutes after the restart, only for it to be wiped off as Jay Fulton was fouled by Yannick Bolasie just before Bola struck.
Warnock raged for a good half hour until Boro grabbed a deserved equaliser when Sam Morsy’s low shot deceived keeper Freddie Woodman.
But then Bidwell was felled, the referee eventually pointed to the spot and Ayew’s trademark shuffle made it a miserable return to Wales for Warnock.
SWANSEA: Woodman 7; Naughton 6, Cabango 7, Guehi 7; Roberts 7, Grimes 7, Smith 6 (Lowe 67, 6), Fulton 6, Manning 6 (Bidwell 73, 6); Hourihane 6; Ayew 8.
Unused subs: Hamer, Latibeaudiere, Dhanda, Bennett, O Cooper, Arriola, Whittaker.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Bettinelli 6; Dijksteel 6 (Spence 16, 6 (Mendez-laing 78), Mcnair 7, Hall 6, Fry 6, Bola 7 (Johnson 78); Howson 6, Morsy 7, Saville 7; Watmore 5 (Akpom 46, 6), Bolasie 6 (Kebano 66, 6).
Unused subs: Archer, Fisher.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Andre Ayew. Two goals and ice cold nerve to convert yet another injury time penalty.
REFEREE: Gavin Ward 6.