Pelle should have seen red for breaking my son’s nose, fumes Hull’s Bruce
STEVE BRUCE was at least able to crack a joke after his side were left dangling precariously above the Barclays Premier League drop zone following defeat by Southampton – but that was not the only thing cracked in this game.
Graziano Pelle was given a yellow card by referee Kevin Friend in the first half for a clash with Alex Bruce but the Hull City manager could not believe the Southampton striker remained on the field following the altercation with his son.
‘Alex has got a horribly broken nose,’ Bruce revealed. ‘The boy Pelle gets a yellow card but we’re incensed. We need a break like that – not a broken nose, but a break. A decision like that which goes our way.
‘I had a conversation with the referee who said he’s seen a hand in the air. If he’s seen a forearm smash in Alex’s face you do wonder. Pelle’s got away with it, from what I’ve seen on the DVD he meant it.’
To compound Bruce’s misery, Pelle went on to seal the victory in the 81st minute, finishing off a good passing move to score his first league goal since December 20, ending a drought of 1,245 minutes.
‘It will help him a lot,’ Southampton manager Ronald Koeman said. ‘December was a long time ago. If you’re a striker you need to score.’
James Ward-Prowse had put the home side in front, coming on at halftime to convert a penalty 10 minutes later. Shane Long, Whippet-like with his tireless running down either flank, had won the spot kick by racing down the right before being chopped down by Bruce, who was perhaps somewhat dazed and confused after his blow to the face.
Ward-Prowse calmly placed it beyond Steve Harper’s reach into the right of goal for his first of the campaign.
There was almost an incident when Sadio Mane initially picked the ball up to take the kick. ‘I had to shout to our captain Jose Fonte to stop Mane,’ Koeman admitted. ‘It was a difficult situation. James Ward-Prowse and Dusan Tadic are our first and second choice to take penalties. It’s a problem with Mane, but the rules in the team are more important.’
The home side had been fortunate to still be level, two minutes before they scored. Sone Aluko held the ball up on the edge of the box and laid off to Jake Livermore whose powerful shot almost caught out Southampton goalkeeper Kelvin Davis only for him to make a one-handed save. On the hour mark, only one behind, Hull’s James Chester had Davis beaten with a glancing header from a corner only for Ryan Bertrand to clear off the line.
Before kick-off, the omens were not good for the visitors who had not won away to Southampton since February 1951 and the 64-year wait to amend that will go on.
Two home wins against relegation rivals Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers in mid-February left them full of hope
and optimism of surviving the season.
But since then they have not won in six and this was the fourth defeat of that barren spell.
They have a fortnight break – not involved in FA Cup action next weekend – then six games to save their season, including daunting home matches against Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United.
Conversely, with Tottenham losing to Aston Villa and Liverpool set to play against Newcastle tomorrow, Southampton jumped to fifth. ‘It will be a fight between Liverpool, Tottenham and Southampton,’ Koeman said.
For Bruce and his players, it will be a fight to keep themselves from falling over the relegation precipice. SOUTHAMPTON (4-2-3-1): K Davis 6.5; Alderweireld 6, Jose Fonte 6, Yoshida 6, Bertrand 6.5; Wanyama 5.5 (Ward-Prowse 46, 7), Schneiderlin 6.5; Long 7 (Elia 74, 6), S Davis 6, Mané 6 (Tadic 61, 6); Pelle 7.5. Subs (not used): Gazzaniga, Clyne, Reed, Targett. Booked: Pelle, Wanyama. HULL (4-4-2): Harper 6; Chester 6 (Diame 64, 6), Dawson 5, Bruce 4.5, McShane 5; Elmohamady 5, Livermore 5.5, Huddlestone 5 (Sagbo 74, 5.5), Quinn 5; Aluko 6 (Hernández 84), N’Doye 5. Subs (not used): McGregor, Rosenior, Brady, Robertson. Booked: None. REfEREE: Kevin Friend 7.