Southampton did just enough to earn a point at St. Mary’s in a relegation battle against a resilient Crystal Palace.
Ralph Hasenhuttl went with an unchanged side from the win over Everton ten days ago. The Saints deployed a 3-5-2 shape which pushed Nathan Redmond forward with Danny Ings and relied heavily on the wing backs Matt Targett and Yan Valery to produce.
However, Crystal Palace kept Southampton in check for most of the competition, with tactics which forced the three centre-backs into possession and high-risk passes. Jannik Vestergaard, Jack Stephens, and Jan Bednarek were all guilty of giving the ball away, but did well in recovery and admirably defended a dangerous Palace attack.
Wilfried Zaha was undoubtedly the story of the competition. Scoring his first goal in 17 Premier League competitions, but also being baited into back to back yellow cards following a confrontation with James Ward-Prowse. The sending off nearly handed Southampton all three points in a game where many fans left satisfied with a draw.
The 77th minute Ward-Prowse goal was the key turning point few expected. Opportunities to that point for the Saints were dire and from distance.
Ironically, with fans screaming at Jack Stephens to play the ball out to Ward-Prowse on the right, he went left. Starting the attack through Matt Targett and Stuart Armstrong which resulted in the game-tying goal. A tap in from seven yards out.
It was not the cleanest performance from Southampton, but credit must be given to Roy Hodgson who set a up a Palace team which was difficult to play against. However, there were some positive displays from the Saints who need something to hand onto with Burnley and Cardiff City on the horizon. Here are our three key players from the competition.