CENTURION RALPH SEES THE SUNNY SIDE
RALPH HASENHUTTL was his usual brooding self as Southampton finally ran into form at Bramall Lane. Even at 2-0, he dramatically clasped his head in hands as further chances went begging for Nathan Tella and Takumi Minamino. The emotional investment Hasenhuttl puts into every situation explains why Saints are the first club where he’s stayed 100 games, a milestone he reached on Saturday. The former Leipzig coach sees great potential at the club and signed a new four-year contract last summer. But he’s self-aware enough to know he can only last the distance if the job becomes less difficult. Saints were top in November until an injury crisis saw them collapse with a run of nine winless games including a 9-0 defeat at Manchester United. That ended as they were far too good for bottom club Sheffield United with goals in each half from James Ward-Prowse and Che Adams. ‘It’s been ups and downs,’ said Hasenhuttl, reflecting on his century. ‘We have had some beautiful times, sunshine, and sometimes not. Wins here are more fun than anywhere else because it is special. Hopefully I have enough energy for the next three years. It is by far the most time I have had at any club.’ If the last statement sounded somewhat downbeat, it was a clever wake-up call to the Saints board. Hasenhuttl is ambitious and wants to work with a group who can cope with ailments and suspensions. Kyle Walker-Peters, Ibrahima Diallo and Minamino were back to make a difference against the Blades. When Danny Ings limped off with a groin injury, the bench coped with Adams coming on and scoring a belter against his former club. ‘Our goal is to have a bigger squad — we need to have that next season because the Premier League season is so tough,’ added Hasenhuttl. United boss Chris Wilder would love Hasenhuttl’s problem. His team played like one accepting relegation. ‘There won’t be many contenders for player of the season,’ he said. ‘It’s a tough gig because we’ve taken an awful amount of punches.’ SHEFF UTD (3-5-2): Ramsdale 7; Baldock 6, Ampadu 5, Bryan 5; Bogle 6, Lundstram 5, Fleck 6.5, Norwood 5 (McBurnie 45mins, 5.5), Stevens 5.5; Brewster 5.5 (Sharp 68, 5), McGoldrick 5.5 (Mousset 58, 5.5). Subs not used: Foderingham, Osborn, Lowe, Burke, Ndiaye, Maguire. Booked: Ampadu, Bogle, Fleck, McBurnie. Manager: Chris Wilder 5.5. SOUTHAMPTON (4-3-3): Forster 6; Walker-Peters 6, Vestergaard 7, Bednarek 6, Bertrand 7; Armstrong 7.5, Diallo 6.5, Ward-Prowse 7; Minamino 6 (Djenepo 88), Ings 6 (Adams 13, 7), TELLA 8 (Redmond 77). Subs not used: McCarthy, Stephens, Salisu, N’Lundulu, Jankewitz, Chauke. Scorers: Ward-Prowse 32 (pen), Adams 49. Booked: Armstrong, Tella, Vestergaard. Manager: Ralph Hasenhuttl 7. Referee: Paul Tierney 7.