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Post by Football News on Aug 27, 2016 16:33:42 GMT
Southampton 1 - 1 SunderlandJay Rodriguez rescues point for Southampton to deny Sunderland victory Home team scorersJay Rodriguez 85 Away team scorersJermain Defoe 80 Pen Southampton’s Jay Rodriguez scored a late equaliser to deny Sunderland their first win of the season at St Mary’s, but their tepid display will have done little to whet the appetite for their upcoming European tour – as their supporters so proudly sang – that will span as far as Israel and the San Siro. Jermain Defoe scored a late penalty eight minutes from time, after going down under pressure from the Southampton captain, José Fonte, after Jeremain Lens’s low cross into the penalty area. But Rodriguez, a late substitute here in place of Charlie Austin, drilled low and underneath the Sunderland goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, who should have done better. Defoe had by then, though, already worsened Southampton’s record of 15 matches without a clean sheet. Any pre-match excitement surrounding Friday’s Europa League draw – in which Southampton will face trips to Internazionale, Sparta Prague and Hapoel Be’er Sheva – was quickly extinguished in a largely drab affair. How Southampton could have done with the energy of Sofiane Boufal, the Lille midfielder expected to join the club for a record fee in the coming days. With Vito Mannone sidelined for three months with an elbow injury, Pickford, who spent half of last season on loan at Preston North End, again deputised in goal. And while the chants of “England’s No1” from away supporters were probably a little far-fetched, the 22-year-old impressed until his late mistake on just his third start for the club. The England Under-21 goalkeeper, who was born on Wearside, made smart stops to deny Dusan Tadic and Charlie Austin inside the first half hour. Tadic, who lost his consistency and starting spot under Ronald Koeman last season, threatened from distance with a powerful, rising drive that alluded even Pickford but a tepid Southampton were tamed time and again by an organised Sunderland backline. In truth, Tadic was Southampton’s best performer and his withdrawal just after the hour was met with boos from the home support. His replacement, Shane Long, immediately forced Pickford into a low dive to his right. Austin, preferred to Shane Long as a lone striker, was handed his first start of the season but flattered to deceive and, unsurprisingly, appeared short of match fitness. Both Austin and Southampton’s Fonte sent wayward passes out of play to grumbles from a restless home crowd. Southampton’s first-half frustrations were compounded when Nathan Redmond was awarded a yellow card for dissent by the referee Lee Mason. As the hosts huffed and puffed, Sunderland grew into the match, lit up by sparks of clever play from a front three of Fabio Borini, Defoe and Adnan Januzaj. Defoe, though not in his heyday, remains the sharpest tool in the box available to Moyes and the striker comfortably raced past Fonte, only for his square ball to end up at the feet of the opposition. But Southampton did not respond to the wake-up call. Defoe later got his reward from the penalty spot, though, lashing the ball beyond the Southampton goalkeeper, Fraser Forster. Sunderland’s Lamine Koné squandered his side’s best chance in open play, nodding his header narrowly wide after a deep cross by Patrick van Aanholt. Koné, who missed Sunderland’s 2-1 defeat at Middlesbrough, was restored to the starting lineup alongside Papy Djilobodji in central defence, while Javier Manquillo made his debut after arriving on a season-long loan in the week. And how David Moyes would hate to lose Koné before Wednesday’s transfer deadline. Pickford twice saved well from Long and Redmond before eventually coming undone against Rodriguez. Claude Puel’s face was a picture just before that moment: the Southampton manager’s cheeks were puffed out as the Frenchman looked exasperated at his team’s failure to open up Sunderland on a muggy afternoon. But Puel rolled the dice late on, throwing on striker Rodriguez late on for Austin, subject of interest from West Bromwich Albion, and Sunderland’s resolute backline, led by Koné, were eventually broken. Guardian
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Post by Football News on Aug 27, 2016 18:34:28 GMT
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Post by Football News on Aug 27, 2016 18:35:02 GMT
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