Rivals draw on the positives
Saints’ depth delights Hasenhuttl while Fulham show fighting spirit
THE SPOILS were not the only thing shared at Craven Cottage. So too was the frustration but also hope from both sides.
For Southampton, they were denied the chance to go third after going the closest to winning, with two ‘goals’ that had manager Ralph Hasenhuttl briefly celebrating on the pitch being ruled out for offside.
On the plus side, he had the chance to look at some of what he had in reserve, with four key players missing, and was happy with what he saw.
For Fulham and their isolating manager Scott Parker, there was a missed opportunity to make a significant move to climb out of the bottom three.
But there was another display of their new-found resilience, as they racked up a fourth successive draw, which further suggested they will make a much better fist of trying to stay up this time than in their last Premier campaign.
Hasenhuttl said: ‘It’s not so easy to play here. You have seen it in the past. Liverpool almost lost here. So when Liverpool are making a draw I think we can also leave with one point. We were a bit unlucky but I can live with a point. I don’t come here thinking “we are Southampton and we easily win here”.’
Stuart Gray, former Southampton manager and one half of t he Fulham pair standing in for Parker alongside coach Matt Wells, said: ‘We’re disappointed. You can tell by their reaction they are happy to have got the point.
‘But my glass is always half full and four g a me s unbeaten, compared to the start to the season we had, shows we’re going in the right direction.’ Parker was absent due to a member of his household contracting coronavirus. But Fulham hope he will be able to return to the fold tomorrow ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Tottenham.
Parker spoke to Fulham’s players via computer before the game and at half-time, and was on the phone to the bench throughout. He would have been pleased to see and hear that the gameplan he worked on during the week to counter Southampton’s ferocious pressing and cause problems themselves worked early on.
Few sides can match that element of Southampton’s game but Fulham managed it.
Ademola Lookman might have earned them just reward early on and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa should have but fluffed it and kicked the ball against his standing foot. Southampton were without t he s us pended Ori o l Romeu, defender Jannik Vestegaard, who will be sidelined for a month with a knee injury, and striker Danny Ings — all key members of the spine of the team — as well as winger Nathan Redmond. And it showed.
They lacked their usual cohesion. It was not until the 27th minute that they threatened Fulham’s goal, though they too had a major nearly moment.
Fulham made the mistake of conceding a free-kick just outside their box in what is becoming James Ward-Prowse territory.
He bent a trademark free-kick over the wall which stayed out thanks to a combination of Alphonse Areola’s outstretched right hand and his post. The spin of the ball then deceived Che Adams as he moved in to convert the rebound.
After the break, Ivan Cavaleiro headed Antonee Robinson’s cross over after ghosting into a gaping hole before Jan Bednarek’s block on Lookman spared Southampton.
And it was the visitors who shaded the second half. They had a penalty appeal denied after a VAR check when Ryan Bertrand’s cross hit
Ola Aina on the hand. Then came the two moments that had Hasenhuttl sprinting onto t he pitch celebrating before he was forced t o retreat back t o his dugout disappointed.
First Shane Long, in for Ings, volleyed past Areola only to see his effort chalked out as he was just deeper than Joachim Andersen when he made his run on to Bertrand’s ball.
Then Theo Walcott brilliantly converted Adam’s cross only for a VAR check from Jon Moss to see that Southampton strike wiped out as well.