SAINTS THRIVE AND SURVIVE
Hasenhuttl’s side hold firm to halt City’s winning run
SOUTHAMPTON did so much more than survive here. They thrived, they might even have won this game and they were again a credit to the tactical plan of Ralph Hasenhuttl, who greeted the final whistle as though a victory had been secured, as well he might. Points against Manchester City are hard won.
And yet, with 70 minutes on the clock, and their legs pretty much run to exhaustion, Southampton were in pure survival mode.
They survived two late and long VAR reviews, one for a potential penalty for a foul by Mohammed Salisu on Kevin De Bruyne, which was deemed outside the box and another for a potential red card for a foul by Stuart Armstrong on Aymeric Laporte.
They blocked the Jack Grealish strike, survived the De Bruyne shot past the post. When Salisu stuck out his long legs on 89 minutes and robbed the Belgian, they survived again. The pinball-like scramble in the box in injury time, when the ball threatened any second to fall to a City player, they survived that, too.
And they deserved it. Saints threw everything at this game. They caused plenty of mayhem for City with just 26 per cent possession. And they not only survived. Might they also have opened a chink of light for Liverpool, six points behind if they win their games in hand.
They go to the Etihad in April, potentially three points behind going into the run-in. We all know how fans’ minds work, the heady optimism that gets you through a long winter. Unlikely scenarios, but the last time City dropped points in the Premier League we were on
British Summer Time. There was the sight of James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu, disciplined passers of the ball, dominating midfield when they had possession and frustrating City when they didn’t. There was Nathan Redmond tracking back to make the 4-4-2 work. At one point late in the second half, he was on the edge of the Southampton box, blocking a shot as De Bruyne sized up what looked to have the making of an exquisite equaliser.
Romeu was superb in midfield in that first half and his crossfield ball on eight minutes to Kyle WalkerPeters was sublime. That was also a tactical move Saints kept using and kept catching City out on. WalkerPeters then combined with Redmond but what really made the moment was the manner in which Walker-Peters took the return ball, controlling with his left and then striking with the outside of his right, giving it just enough swerve to beat Ederson and curl inside the post.
And when City were at their best, Fraser Forster stood tall. Phil Foden rolled a ball into Raheem Sterling. With time and space to finish from eight yards, he flunked it, as if intimidated by the sight of Forster.
Southampton resumed the level of performance after the break. A Ward-Prowse corner on 49 minutes saw Ederson having to react to a Jan Bednarek header. They broke City’s lines on 52 minutes, Armando Broja running in behind the centre-backs.
This time Laporte recovered to block his shot and force a corner. Yet from the Ward-Prowse corner, the ball broke for Broja again, two yards out. His header came back off the post, Ederson flapping to put him off probably saving the day.
City were level on 65 minutes. Guardiola had cited Ward-Prowse as the best free-kick taker in the world prior to the match. De Bruyne seemed to take offence and feel a need to prove otherwise, so perfect was his delivery from wide right. He floated the ball over the Saints defenders and into Laporte who headed home firmly for 1-1.
City had chances to win, with De Bruyne hitting the post late on. Guardiola admitted Saints were a tough nut to crack. ‘That’s why making back-to-back titles in the last 12, 13 years has happened only once, which was ourselves, and now we’re trying to do it again,’ he said. ‘I don’t need to win, draw or lose today to know we still have a lot of games to play. Even winning today, the title race would not be over. In January, no one is champion.’
Hasenhuttl added: ‘It’s amazing to go and not lose this game and really fighting for the point and deserving to get it because of our effort and passion.’