Bournemouth on brink of drop after late VAR blow in loss to Southampton
As the second goal went in, a despairing Eddie Howe shut his eyes and shook his head, as any grains of belief eventually evaporated in second-half stoppage time. When the final whistle arrived, the Bournemouth goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale slumped against one of his posts before staring ahead as the pitch slowly emptied.
These are bleak snapshots of a season that has all but slipped away from Bournemouth and, with a game to go, they are left praying for miracles and for Watford, the only team they can still suck into the relegation zone, to drop not just points but for their goal difference to take a hammering, too.
A painfully familiar face paved the way to victory for a clinical and unforgiving Southampton, with Danny Ings kickstarting the scoring by bending a delicious effort into the far corner after wriggling free of Jack Stacey. Ings’s celebrations were muted for good reason, given it was here he started his career after being released by Southampton at the age of 16. A couple of years later, Howe gave him his professional debut before re-signing him at Burnley and the gloss on the finish was typically effervescent as he sent a rasping strike into the net to take his tally to 21 goals for the season. How Ings has flourished since returning to his boyhood club.
Ings is not infallible, though, and had a second-half penalty saved when Ramsdale dived down to his left to smother the spot-kick. Ings hesitated in his run-up and, unusually, failed to strike the ball with any conviction. For Ralph Hasenhüttl, who could afford a wry smile while discussing Ings’s miss, it was another fine performance, a gargantuan defensive showing.
It is not over until is over, Howe said valiantly afterwards, but the mental scars of Che Adams doubling Southampton’s advantage moments after they thought they had found a lifeline in stoppage time will surely be lasting. The substitute Sam Surridge squeezed home from close range but the goal was disallowed after David Coote, the video assistant referee, ruled Callum Wilson offside in the buildup. If that was a cruel blow, when Adams lashed in after Bournemouth went for broke in search of another opening, they were visibly shattered.
“I’m deeply disappointed; hurt; loads of different emotions are going through my body,” Howe said. “The key thing is while there is still hope we have to believe, until such time it is mathematically not possible. You never know in football, crazy things happen. But I’m very disappointed because a big chunk of our destiny and our future was in our hands today, but it’s slipped away a little bit. It was a very emotional game in many ways.”
Unlike in meek defeats to Crystal Palace and Newcastle since the restart, Bournemouth’s desire to turn around their slide could not be questioned. “Get it on the ground, come on,” Hasenhüttl roared on the sideline, incensed at Southampton’s inability to stem the flow of Bournemouth attacks.
Diego Rico’s inviting cross bounced in the six-yard box, Callum Wilson headed over unmarked and Lloyd Kelly swivelled on the edge of the D before sending a shot wide, then Kyle Walker-Peters made a magnificent interception with Junior Stanislas lurking. But that Ramsdale, arguably Bournemouth’s player of the season, was kept the busier keeper sums up where things unravelled, Bournemouth having created a flurry of openings without finding the final piece of the jigsaw.
Ramsdale twice saved superbly from Redmond but, as they pushed for an equaliser, Southampton were able to feast on holes in defence, with Adams blasting in to compound the home side’s misery. Harry Wilson forced a fingertip save from Alex McCarthy in the Southampton goal and Jannik Vestergaard made a brilliant block to deny Dominic Solanke a dream leveller off the bench, but Bournemouth failed to register a lasting imprint. If Watford avoid defeat at Manchester City on Tuesday, Howe’s side will be relegated.
Howe conceded his team have become “a bit snatchy” in front of goal and, ultimately, they squandered the final chance to wrest things back in their favour. “It’s hard to understand why they are where they are at the moment,” said Hasenhüttl. “We have had tough games against them. They have quality in every position and they are very organised. But this is the Premier League.”