Lineups:
Southampton: McCarthy, Cedric, Bednarek, Stephens, Bertrand, Djenepro, Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg (c), Redmond, Obafemi, Ings.
Watford: Foster, Mariappa, Cathcart, Masina, Femenia, Doucoure, Capoue (c), Holebas, Hughes, Deulofeu, Sarr.
Goals:
Watford: Sarr 24’
Southampton: Ings 78’, Ward-Prowse 83’
Bookings: Redmond 48’
Subs:
Southampton: Bouffal for Redmond 57’ , Long for Obafemi 57’, Valery for Cedric 76’
Watford: Gray for Deulofeu 67’, Chalobah for Hughes 74’, Foulquier for Femenia 82’
Pressure mounts on Sanchez Flores as Saints claim crucial win.
By Marc Browne
Southampton produced a gutsy second-half comeback to overcome Watford in the relegation six-pointer and enhance their survival hopes. Two goals within five minutes, one from Danny Ings and a superb free-kick from James Ward-Prowse gave Southampton fans their first taste of victory at St.Mary’s this season. Meanwhile, Watford remain rooted to the bottom of the table with pressure mounting on Hornets’ boss Quique Sanchez Flores.
This was Watford’s third defeat in five Premier League matches and with a trip to high-flying Leicester City up next, things don’t get any easier for the manager brought in for his second term to change the club’s fortunes around.
Southampton, meanwhile, have a chance to make it two home wins from two on Tuesday when they host another club trying to avoid the trap door in Norwich City.
It was certainly a game of two halves which saw Southampton booed off the field at the interval. What was to follow was a brilliant smash and grab. Ings took his tally to seven for the season and Ward-Prowse won it with a trademark free-kick.
A double substitution after 57 minutes seemed to turn the game on its head and spark Southampton into life. Both Shane Long and Sofiane Bouffal produced energetic performances to give the Saints a crucial win in a classic six-pointer on the south coast.
Southampton settled much the quicker of the two sides and created two half chances within the first ten minutes through skipper Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg whose volley sailed over and Nathan Redmond, combining well with Ryan Bertrand before sending his shot straight into the arms of Ben Foster.
Yet Watford could and should have been in front inside a minute when Saints’ Cedric Soares, eventually substituted to save him more anguish after a disappointing display, was caught napping in the right-back position only for Ismaila Sarr’s shot to be easily gathered by Foster.
Watford eventually took the lead on 24 minutes after a professional and organised opening, exacerbated by sloppy Southampton mistakes and a continuous eagerness to distribute from the back. The goal came out of nothing. Watford had a throw-in inside their own half and a hopeful lump forward by Etienne Capoue found Sarr who got in behind the hesitant Jack Stephens, shrugged him off and coolly slotted over Alex McCarthy.
Senegal international Sarr nearly doubled his tally after he was found from a deep free-kick. In acres of space and the Southampton defence acting as onlookers, his hard-hit volley was well saved by McCarthy down to his right. Increasing in confidence, Watford were at it again in the 32nd minute with Hughes feeding Gerard Deulofeu who fizzed a cross-shot across the face of goal. The home crowd were starting to vocalise their frustration.
A few half chances followed through another Redmond shot and a neat flick directed goalwards from James Ward-Prowse on the stroke of half time.
Watford’s game plan of sitting back, being patient without possession and counter-attacking with pace worked perfectly with Sarr and Deulofeu working hard both on and off the ball.
Ralf Hassenhuttel’s men went into the dressing room to a chorus of boos from the home fans, apparently frustrated at Southampton’s lack of urgency and go-forward when in possession.
Southampton limped out of the blocks at the start of the second half and really found it difficult to gain any momentum in the early stages. The toxic atmosphere at St. Mary’s was gaining more momentum, it has to be said, with boos ringing around as Ward-Prowse couldn’t find Cedric with a simple pass.
Hassenhuttl was the first to show his hand and made a double substitution on 57 minutes. Bouffal on for a bemused Nathan Redmond and Long replacing the quiet Michael Obafemi. And how intuitive these changes proved to be.
The crowd also seemed to be lifted by Hassenhuttl’s innovation and were almost gifted an equaliser, or at least a penalty by Watford keeper Foster after he failed to clear a back pass from Doucoure and the terrier-like Ings stole in and went down under his challenge. Michael Oliver, however, deemed that it was Ings that felled Foster much to the derision of the Saints’ number nine himself.
The Watford stopper then made up for this hiccup by producing a stunning save onto the crossbar to keep out the increasingly pestilent substitute Long who dug out a shot after a pullback from fellow substitute Bouffal.
