Ward-Prowse helps Southampton to comfortable win over lifeless Fulham
If Fulham’s Premier League obituary had not already been written, then this will likely be remembered as the night they lost their fight for survival, as Southampton coasted to a rare routine victory. Even the eternal optimist, Claudio Ranieri, who headed straight down the tunnel at the final whistle after watching his lifeless team succumb to an eighth defeat in nine matches, is battling to put on a brave face. Fulham, who are 10 points from safety, need a miracle, and fast, if they are to avoid an instant return to the Championship.
As for Fulham’s disenchanted supporters, who sorely miss the swagger with which they won promotion, they are resigned to their fate and have already raised the white flag. To make matters worse, they face Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City in three of their next four matches. After their recent run the damage those sides could inflict does not bear thinking about.
Fulham proved their own worst enemy here, typified by another erratic display by Sergio Rico in the Fulham goal; his poor clearance teed up Oriol Romeu to rifle home before he allowed James Ward-Prowse to add a second; Fulham have shipped a league-high 63 goals.
Ranieri, who trumpeted his belief that his players can still steer clear of the drop, shrugged his shoulders at the notion his job may not be safe. “I am used to believing,” he said. “Something could happen. If you don’t believe, it’s done. You have to believe, you have to fight. If you don’t fight, you’ve already lost. Always in my career, I am used to working hard. It is very difficult but until it is mathematically impossible, we continue to fight.”
The Italian’s substitutions midway through the second half gave the travelling supporters the chance to vent their frustrations. They unfurled a banner with the words “Risk free? Are you watching Tony Khan?” – a dig at comments made by Khan’s father, Shahid, the Fulham owner, after his appointment in November. The belated arrival of Ryan Sessegnon, their standout performer last season, prompted chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing”. Given how Fulham’s aggressive recruitment drive has spectacularly backfired – typified by Rico’s form – the old adage that, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, springs to mind. Fulham offered little, though Ryan Babel, a surprise January signing, came closest to giving the visitors an unlikely lifeline, rattling the bar late on.
Ralph Hasenhüttl, the Southampton manager, described this game as a “should-win” as opposed to a “must-win” encounter and there was never any doubt that his side would prosper and record a victory that hoists them out of the relegation zone. A warm glow has surrounded Hasenhüttl since his arrival in December but there was no hiding from the fact that they needed a fillip, with the same old issues that beset his predecessors – bluntness in attack and an evident brittleness at the back – continuing to blight Saints of late.
Rico played Fulham into trouble early on, making a total mess of things when Håvard Nordtveit spooned an aimless ball into the box by Yan Valery high into the air. After the ball returned to earth Rico failed to claim it, instead clambering around Charlie Austin, who eventually hooked the ball into an unguarded net, only for the referee, Anthony Taylor, to blow for an extremely soft foul by the Southampton striker. Fulham were off the hook but, when Rico flapped at a Bertrand corner, this time the damage was lasting. Rico rose above André-Frank Zambo Anguissa to clear the ball but his powder-puff punch landed at the feet of Romeu on the edge of the box, with the midfielder smacking home beyond a sea of Fulham bodies.
Southampton doubled their lead four minutes before the interval after more kamikaze Fulham defending. Rico’s hopeful pass out from the back kick-started a horrible chain of events for Fulham, as some head tennis in midfield ensued before Austin fed Nathan Redmond to take aim. But it was Rico’s error when parrying Redmond’s curled shot that proved fatal, with the goalkeeper spilling his effort, allowing Ward-Prowse to bury the rebound. Southampton, who face Manchester United and Tottenham next, are unlikely to have it this easy again for a while. “It was a big step for us – only one – but a very important one,” Hasenhüttl said. “We were very clinical, professional.”