RALPH COOLS THE HOT ROD
Hasenhuttl changes come up trumps as Saints battle back to ease pressure on manager
FOR 12 minutes or so, Ralph Hasenhuttl was really feeling the heat at St Mary’s. In soaring temperatures, he already had to ditch his usual touchline attire of a shirt, tie and waistcoat for a far more suitable polo shirt and cap.
Then, with disgruntlement breaking out in the stands as well as among some in his dressing room, Southampton fell two down on the hour when Leeds’ Rodrigo nodded in his second of the afternoon.
Having kicked off with one win in their previous 13 league games, the inevitable ‘sacked in the morning’ chants followed.
But Hasenhuttl then made the first of two changes that turned the game back Southampton’s way before his third substitute made the game-saving contribution.
Joe Aribo scored 11 minutes after coming off the bench to provide the platform for Southampton’s fightback. Then fellow sub and debutant Sekou Mara, with a brilliant piece of skill and an inchperfect pass, teed up Kyle WalkerPeters to make it 2-2.
While Walker-Peters headed for the crowd, Hasenhuttl was on the pitch celebrating in front of his dugout. Delighted? Yes. Relieved? No doubt. Feeling a little more comfortable? Finally.
It was not the win he could have done with, but certainly a comeback to cling to and some real fight shown in difficult circumstances by his team, especially one so young who had crumbled once the game started to get away from them a week earlier at Tottenham. It was a positive end few could have seen coming for much of the afternoon.
Leeds’ Patrick Bamford, who had endured an injury-hit 2021/22 season, suffered another setback after a couple of early glimpses of goal when he was forced off just before the half hour.
His replacement Daniel James almost made a swift impact, being pushed through by Jack Harrison before seeing his shot athletically tipped away by Gavin Bazunu.
James’s involvement minutes later was less welcome. After the Saints cleared a first corner, James got in the way as the better-placed Rasmus Kristensen looked to nod Rodrigo’s flick into an empty net.
It distracted Kristensen, who took his eye off the ball and his contact was tame, allowing Bazunu to make a save he should not have been able to. By then there were rumblings of discontent in the stands as Southampton struggled to create much going forward.
They could have been playing against 10 men when Diego Llorente’s last-man tackle on Stuart Armstrong went to a VAR review, but was eventually deemed not to be the denial of a goal-scoring opportunity. This was not a day to be chasing the opposition around a man short.
Southampton’s first chance was not exactly a clear one, a Walker Peters cross that ricocheted wide off of Stuart Armstrong. Their second sighter was a thunderbolt from Armel Bella-Kotchap that looked closer than it was after the German youngster burst out from the back.
Other than that, they had offered little, hence the grumblings. And things got far worse less than 60 seconds into the second half.
It began scrappily, Southampton struggling to clear their lines despite multiple attempts.
The ball eventually fell to Harrison down the left and his low cross was flicked home on the run by Rodrigo, who had escaped Mohammed Salisu and nipped in ahead of the unaware Jan Bednarek, as Bamford did in the first half.
Just before the hour, Rodrigo nodded onto the roof of the net from another Harrison cross.
Just as concerning for the home team would have been the increasing frustration from the crowd as their dawdling in defence, plus a rare mistake from James Ward Prowse, a misplaced backpass, led to the concession of the corner and more jeers.
That proved to be a temporary reprieve though and the dissent soon grew further. This time Pascal Struijk sent Brendan Aaronson’s corner looping over Bazunu and Rodrigo made sure it went in on the goal-line.
Hasenuhuttl instantly turned to Adam Armstrong and Aribo, bringing them on for the ineffective Stuart Armstrong and Mohamed Elyounoussi.
Very quickly Aribo, in particular, made an impact, forcing Islan Meslier into one save from a header and Struijk into a last-ditch challenge. With his next attempt, though, he made it count to set up a frantic finish.
Che Adams sent Adam Armstrong racing down the left with a clever touch and his cross eventually made it all the way to Aribo at the backpost.
He looked to have spurned the opportunity when he rounded Meslier, allowing Leeds time to get defenders back on the line.
But, with the odds now against him, he managed to fire off a shot that squeezed into the far corner. Game on.
The comeback was then complete when Walker-Peters latched onto Mara’s pass to slide the equaliser past Meslier.
Leeds had struggled to cope with Southampton and create much after going 2-0 up, but they had a chance to nick it at the death when Rodrigo let fly and stung Bazunu’s palms.
But, from their position of comfort with almost 20 minutes remaining, Jesse Marsch’s side would have been relieved to head home with a point.