Ings stings Smith as Villa lack bite
WHEN the final whistle blew, Jack Grealish slumped to the ground inside the Southampton penalty area after a game that left Aston Villa on the canvas.
Danny Ings’ double, either side of Jack Stephens’ header, lifted Saints out of the relegation zone and ensured their opponents will be in the bottom three at Christmas.
Their squad looks good enough to climb the table while for Villa, the sight of their captain lying flat on his back at full-time was a perfect summary of their predicament.
Villa have now suffered four defeats in a row and they were booed off by the fans who remained — many of them had left long before the end.
This was the first of three games for Villa against rivals for survival. They face Norwich here on Boxing Day before travelling to Watford on December 28 but, unless they improve dramatically, it is hard to envisage an upturn in form.
They are likely to be without John McGinn, who was injured after eight minutes, while there is little creative talent beyond the Scot and Grealish, who volleyed a brilliant consolation in the 75th minute.
The result eased the pressure on Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl while his Villa counterpart, Dean Smith, has now watched his side pick up one point from five matches.
Ings and Shane Long were a constant menace, and the comparison between their display, and yet another clumsy showing from £22million forward Wesley, will be uncomfortable for the Villa hierarchy.
Hasenhuttl said: ‘We knew if we played calm and went behind the last line of defence there would be space for us. We didn’t do it perfectly in the second half like in the first half.’
Villa suffered an early blow when McGinn, one of their most important players, landed awkwardly after challenging for the ball with Cedric Soares.
After lengthy treatment, he was helped down the tunnel by two members of Villa’s coaching staff, unable to place any weight on his left ankle.
Neither side started well and Villa’s lack of bite in front of goal was laid bare when they failed to make the most of two promising early moments, Anwar El Ghazi and Wesley wasted chances.
Villa were punished quickly. Shane Long raced on to a ball over the top from Nathan Redmond and, although Tom Heaton saved his shot, Ings tapped in the loose ball.
The goal drained Villa of confidence and Southampton — who had not won away in the league since September 14 — began to enjoy themselves.
‘We can catastrophise goals too quickly,’ said Smith. ‘I saw the shoulders and heads go a little bit, with the exception of Jack and Douglas Luiz.
‘The players have to take responsibility and I do as well.
‘Whether they like it or not, they are Premier League players and I am a Premier League manager. We have to be more responsible in our performances.’
Villa became increasingly agitated after the opener but, in the 31st minute, their afternoon got worse. James Ward-Prowse sent over the corner and Stephens got ahead of El Ghazi to head into the bottom corner.
Despite sustained boos when the whistle blew for half-time, no changes were made by Smith.
And it was Southampton who went further ahead, thanks to more appalling defending.
When Redmond crossed from the left, Marvelous Nakamba could only steer the ball into the path of Ings, who fired past Heaton into the roof of the net.
Smith cut a helpless figure on the touchline, frequently putting his head into his hands as his team made mistakes.
Grealish briefly improved spirits with an outstanding chest and volley after a poorly cleared corner, while there was still time for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to miss a sitter after Heaton had parried Ings’ hat-trick attempt.