A Massive Stride Towards Safety
What the fixture lacked in spectacle it more than made up for with its table altering impact.
The result sees the Hampshire squad pull five points clear of the drop zone. Current residence of 18th, Cardiff City face tough tests against the majority of the top six.
Starting with Chelsea, the Bluebirds must take on the likes of, Manchester city, Liverpool, and Manchester United. Fortunately for Neil Warnock, his club is also set to do battle with several of their fellow strugglers.
Bouts with, Burnley, Brighton, Fulham, and Crystal Palace will almost certainly yield valuable points across the fixtures.
Albion also have a tricky run in as they too must face four of the top six. However, the basement battlers hold a five-point buffer over Cardiff.
Looking at the current state of the league it would appear 38 to 40 points should be enough to see a side over the line. Warnock’s men have a tough road ahead, but don’t expect them to go quietly into that good night.
The English gaffer has his side well organized and up for the challenge. City have the same number of wins as the Saints (eight) including the double over the red and white army.
Cardiff are going to need a surprise or two against the big boys if they hope to stay up. The Welsh cannot simply rely on beating the Cottagers, Brighton, and the Clarets to complete the rescue act. If they should lose to the latter two opponents in upcoming showdowns, then they would likely find themselves eight points adrift with only Southampton to chase.
After Southampton welcome Liverpool in the next match, the schedule eases slightly. The Saints will face challenges from opponents including, Wolverhampton wanderers, Huddersfield Town, Bournemouth, Watford and West Ham. Tricky ties certainly, but fans and players alike would be expecting positive results.
As we enter crunch time of the EPL, the side from St. Mary’s has picked an excellent time to heat the pressure on relegation rivals.