HUGHES PUTS THE BOOT IN ON PICK
It’s not sour grapes, but he should’ve been sent off says Sparky
SILVA for Everton and yellow for the sinning Saints in a colourful scrap on Merseyside in front of England coach Gareth Southgate.
But Southampton boss Mark Hughes believed England keeper Jordan Pickford should have seen red for a hefty challenge on Danny Ings which left the loan striker with a ripped shirt and cuts on his back.
For 45 minutes Everton, under new manager Marco Silva, had turned on the style racing into a two-goal lead with Hughes’ side forced to adopt a stop them at all costs policy. But it was the X-certificate intervention of Pickford in the 76th minute which had Hughes raging.
In racing out of his goal to clear from Ings, Hughes insists that the follow through which left the striker in a heap was committed with totally unnecessary force.
Hughes (right) said: “His studs were raised leaving Danny with five weals on his back. You saw the state of his shirt.
“I don’t think he needed to follow through like he did. The referee said he didn’t see it.
“It’s not sour grapes. I’m not trying to get the lad into trouble but he should have been sent off.” Instead it was Southampton who were adjudged to have taken a walk on the wild side collecting five bookings – while Hughes accused Everton’s players of going down too easily.
Silva had promised inspirational football to replace what many locals had contended was sterile stuff under his predecessor Sam Allardyce.
With £50million record buy Richarlison again amongst the goals following his double on the opening day of the season against Silva’s old club Watford, it should have been fun, fun, fun all the way for the home fans. But in the end they were willing the final whistle as Saints proved they can play football as well as dabbling in the dark arts. Silva said: “We deserved the three points. It was important to give our fans some enjoyment. Everything is different. “The players are doing a fantastic job to try to understand everything.” Everton’s Morgan
Schneiderlin enjoyed a 22-minute cameo which helped remove some of the vitriol which had come his way last season.
The Frenchman and former Saint played a key role in Everton’s opening goal, a free-kick routine patented on the training ground.
Leighton Baines shaped up to loop the ball into the crowded box only to sweep it low into Schneiderlin on the edge of the area.
His clever flick allowed Theo Walcott space to stab past Alex Mccarthy for a 14th- minute strike against the club that nurtured his wing talents. The brilliantly-executed move produced a wide smile from Silva and a fist pump.
Eight minutes later Schneiderlin’s day was done after suffering an injury – leaving the field to warm applause – in stark contrast to the boos and jeers which at times in the last campaign heralded his entrance as a substitute.
Walcott, enjoying too much freedom down the right, punished his old club again by sprinting wide and crossing perfectly for Richarlison to bury a 31stminute header past the exposed Mccarthy. Saints had gone close with an angled header from Charlie Austin, while Ings was left cursing Pickford’s reflexes who, somehow after spilling a long-range drive from Cedric Soares, managed to divert the close-range follow up from the on-loan Liverpool striker against the bar.
He did open his goal account in the 54th minute finishing clinically following a flick on from Mario Lemina.
But in the end he was left wondering what hurt more – the defeat or Pickford’s studs raking his back.