Southampton: Saints Battle to 1-1 Draw vs. Watford at St. Mary’s Opener
Nathan Redmond’s 58th minute equaliser saves result for Southampton as shaky Saints concede early goal at St. Mary’s Stadium
Southampton conceded an early goal and failed to capitalise against a 10-man Watford after the first red card of the new Premier League season, battling out a 1-1 draw before a crowd of 31,488 at St. Mary’s Stadium.
Southampton kicked off, and got an early scoring opportunity from a frightening foul as Watford boots clattered into the face of midfielder James Ward-Prowse. Play was halted briefly while the medical team gave Ward-Prowse a look over, but the 21 year old Englishman was ultimately given the OK to continue and the resulting free kick was easily dealt with by Watford’s defence.
Indeed it would be Watford that struck first, as a cross in the 9th minute found Etienne Capoue with a defence caught unawares. Capoue, who didn’t score a league goal last year, wasted no time in getting on the board, slotting it home past a diving Fraser Forster to put his team up early. That early goal took the wind out of Southampton’s sails, and the team struggled to get anything going until around the 23rd minute. Though Saints finally found their footing for several well-executed attacks, Watford’s defense was up to the challenge and the teams went into the tunnel with the score 1-0 to Watford.
The second half began more favorably for Southampton, who kept up the pace and attacking tempo they’d gone in with. After an opening Watford attack was dealt with easily, Ward-Prowse unleashed a shot that was deflected for a corner. While that effort came to nothing, Saints seized the initiative and another corner allowed Ward-Prowse to be substituted out for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
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Hojbjerg, who made his first appearance in the Premier League at the 54th minute, slotted seamlessly into the midfield and Southampton continued to press offensively, winning another corner off a blocked Nathan Redmond shot. Off the corner, Redmond finally made it count, taking a deflected delivery from Dusan Tadic on a first-touch shot that bounced past the diving Heurelho Gomes to draw Southampton level at the 58th minute.
Southampton’s next clear scoring opportunity would lead to the Premier League’s first red card of the season, as a charging Shane Long was dragged down by substitute Ben Watson in the 76th minute in a cynical foul. The referee was unimpressed, reaching immediately for his red card, but the damage had been done and the home team failed to capitalise on the free kick, which ricocheted around the box before being missed entirely by Long in excellent position.
With their squad a man down, Watford parked the bus to see out the end of the match, and scoring opportunities were limited. Redmond would give the fans one last roar of appreciation with an apparent game-winner at the 85th minute, but was ruled offside by just a hair.
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Analysis: Breaking it All Down
While coming out with only one point on what should have been a winnable match is frustrating, it is in some ways better that points be dropped early when there is still time to correct the faults. Manager Claude Puel seemed to share these sentiments, calling the result “a pity” but viewing the match as an early learning experience.
“It’s a pity to take just one point today…but it’s also a good lesson,” Puel said in his postgame press conference. “We have a good team, with good players. We’re a team that plays football and it’s important to respect this.”
In their first Premiership match together, Long and Redmond showed they can make a serviceable strike team, but the defence lacked the leadership of Bertrand and Fonte and it showed early on. The common consensus among fans is that another striker is needed if Southampton are going to compete down the long haul; after today, I’m on the fence. Long and Redmond make fine strikers against midtable squads, and have the potential to develop under Puel especially given the Frenchman’s pedigree for building top-tier strikers. Unless they step their game up, though, it may be a tough outing against the top tier of the Premier League, and every point Southampton can take is going to count.
For Watford, it’s a good result, especially considering that manager Walter Mazzarri admitted it would be a tough match for the Hornets. Though Ighalo and Deeney didn’t factor as goal-scoring threats, the Watford captain was involved throughout the game and recorded an assist in feeding Capoue his team’s goal. The only dark spot for the Hornets comes in the form of card trouble, with Watson picking up a straight-red and thus unavailable for the team’s next fixture against Chelsea at Vicarage Road.
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Man of the Match
My MOTM honours would have been a lot harder to decide had Southampton finished down 1-0. Shane Long and James Ward-Prowse both put in A+ efforts, testing Watford early and often after going in the hole early. For bringing the game level though, and nearly eking out a victory, the honour has to go to Nathan Redmond. I will admit to skepticism regarding Redmond when Southampton first signed him, but he stepped up hard this game and made an early case for why Saints faithful shouldn’t feel any separation anxiety over losing Sadio Mane. If he can turn in a similar performance next week against Manchester United, I’ll feel confident in saying he’s the real deal.
Looking Ahead
Southampton play Manchester United next weekend at Old Trafford. Though they trail the all-time series by a considerable margin, Saints actually won in their last meeting, taking a 1-0 road victory off a Charlie Austin header on January 23rd 2016. United, meanwhile, have yet to play; they take on AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium tomorrow.