Southampton 0 - 0 Hull

Southampton 0 - 0 Hull

Eldin Jakupovic’s late penalty save earns Hull City vital point at Southampton

This was a tedious, drab affair until the final 20 seconds of normal time but Hull City will not care an inch as they garnered another priceless point in their fight for Premier League survival at Southampton. Eldin Jakupovic ultimately proved the Hull hero, with the goalkeeper saving Dusan Tadic’s 90th-minute penalty after Alfred N’Diaye was judged to have wrestled Maya Yoshida to the floor by the referee, Mike Dean.

All of the drama here unfolded in the final seconds, with Cedric Soares hacking Oumar Niasse’s effort off the line. The travelling 1,000 or so supporters sang manager Marco Silva’s name relentlessly and Hull’s revival under the Portuguese is still very much alive.

Silva, wearing an open-necked white shirt, stalked the touchline at a sunbathed St Mary’s where Southampton were left chasing shadows for much of this contest, especially that of Kamil Grosicki. He struck the side-netting inside the first couple of minutes and the January signing from Rennes was a constant menace down the left flank and linked well with Andrew Robertson. The Polish international struck the post with a fantastic curling effort from a free-kick. Fraser Forster, the Southampton goalkeeper, was again out of sorts, gifting Lazar Markovic the ball before Steven Davis fouled the Liverpool loanee to allow Grosicki to wrap his right boot around the ball from the edge of the box.

There were few positives to pinpoint for Southampton but Soares’s whipped ball caused a moment’s panic in the Hull back line, only for Andrea Ranocchia to ease his countryman, Manolo Gabbiadini, aside, allowing Jakupovic to collect.

Southampton were tedious in their approach, guilty of overplaying at times and repeatedly second best. Sofiane Boufal’s attempt to nutmeg Sam Clucas was met by groans and a growingly restless home crowd booed the team off at half time.

Claude Puel sought personnel changes shortly before the hour mark, with Gabbiadini, starved of service, and Boufal replaced by the former Hull forward Shane Long and the academy graduate, Josh Sims.

Southampton’s uninspiring performance was summed up by second-half miscommunication between Long and Redmond, with the confusion resulting in Hull moving up the pitch and earning a free-kick. Saints had a couple of half-chances, with Davis and Tadic volleying high and wide, but were left shortchanged by a resilient Hull defence.

Hull’s early promise faded a little but they continued to run themselves into the ground. Sometimes, though, it was not enough, as when Long’s pace left Ranocchia in a spin, forcing Harry Maguire to clear the danger with 11 minutes left on the clock. Maguire, the Hull captain, then made another crucial intervention to deny Long a simple finish. Southampton suddenly came alive, with Tadic’s effort forcing Jakupovic into a smart stop before the final drama, with the Serbian missing from the spot.

Guardian