Charlie Austin scored Southampton’s fastest goal of the year assisted by youngster Josh Sims as the Saints defeated old boss Ronald Koeman’s side 1-0.
Southampton gave their former manager a rude welcome-back in the form of one of the fastest goals in club history as Charlie Austin got the jump on Martin Stekelenburg just 42 seconds into the match to put Saints up 1-0. Assisting Austin on the goal, his 6th of the Premier League, was 19 year old Josh Sims, making his first-team debut in relief of an ill Dusan Tadic.
And what a debut it was.
Sims, who attracted a bit of attention from former manager Koeman earlier this week when the latter claimed to have never heard of his former academy charge, had a breakout game showcasing his pace and poise as he went nearly the whole 90 minutes. By the time he came off at 84 minutes, he’d skinned alive every Toffees defender sent to deal with him and thoroughly earned the standing ovation and cheer of “he’s one of our own” which rang throughout St. Mary’s.
While no additional goals were forthcoming, Saints dominated the affair from whistle to whistle, controlling possession and throwing everything forward in an aggressive 4-3-3 setup that saw the likes of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg coming forward in attack and giving former Southampton keeper Stekelenburg fits.
All the while, cheers for the homegrown talent and jeers for the ex-boss who ignored it rang throughout the 30,000 strong crowd.
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The win puts Southampton in 10th position, tied on points and goal difference with 9th-placed West Bromwich Albion at 17 points. The Saints’ next League match is December 3rd against the dismal Crystal Palace, who have lost six straight matches through all competitions including this weekend’s embarrassing 5-4 to Swansea. The club also face Arsenal on Wednesday in the EFL Cup quarterfinals.
Addressing the media after the match, a stunned and elated Josh Sims referred to the experience as “a dream come true” debut.
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“The whole experience was brilliant and the crowd singing my name was the cherry on top,” Sims told club media, later posting to that effect on social media.
Manager Claude Puel, meanwhile, praised his teenage debutante, demurely saying that Sims’ first performance was “okay” before adding that it’s “a good thing to see all the good young players.”