Southampton v Aston Villa: Premier League – as it happened
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http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2015/may/16/southampton-v-aston-villa-premier-league-live Version 0 of 1. 2.38pm BST14:38 FULL TIME: Southampton 6-1 Aston Villa Agbonlahor turns Yoshida on the right-hand corner of the Saints D, and looks for the bottom left. But Gazzaniga is down to stop the shot. And that’s that. It was a game of one half, all the serious action in that astonishing first period. What a performance by Southampton, and the record-breaking hat-trick hero Sadio Mane in particular. Their Europa League hopes are very much alive. As for Aston Villa ... they’re still not safe, and it’s the cup final against Arsenal in a couple of weeks. Time for a few training-ground drills, perhaps. 2.35pm BST14:35 90 min: There will be three added minutes. The Villa fans don’t want to give the ball back. You’d require a heart of stone to blame them. 2.35pm BST14:35 88 min: Hutton bursts down the right and enters the Saints box. He rolls a low ball into the middle, where Agbonlahor smacks a shot low and hard. Gazzaniga saves well, and Sinclair hoicks the rebound over. “The further the game proceeds, the sadder Sherwood’s eyes appear in your half-time photo,” observes Toby Stone. A heart-breaking thousand-yard stare. 2.31pm BST14:31 86 min: Mane and Djuricic combine again, this time in the middle of the park, just outside the Villa box. Mane slides a heavy pass down the left channel to release Bertrand, who chases a lost cause and pulls the ball into the centre. Given smothers. Villa are desperate to hear the final whistle, but that’s been the case for well over an hour. 2.28pm BST14:28 85 min: That’s Pelle’s last contribution to the match. But what a contribution he’s made, putting himself about with some purpose during that first half. The roof comes off as he makes way for Elia. 2.27pm BST14:27 83 min: Pelle deserved to get on the scoresheet, having had that good goal ruled out in the early stages, with the score still 0-0. Remember when the score was still 0-0? Grealish is repalced by Sinclair. “What the heck is going on here?” wonders Magnus Lind. “Shane Long has two goals and two assists within the first half?! I’m no expert but I think the only logical reason is he found some magic shoes that used to belong to Puskas.” 2.26pm BST14:26 GOAL! Southampton 6-1 Aston Villa (Pelle 81) Mane, down the right, plays a little one-two with Djuricic, flummoxing Lowton and sending the former into space. Mane crosses first time, where Pelle roofs home. So simple, but beautiful in its simplicity. On the touchline, Tim Sherwood’s lid continues to rattle. Updated at 2.37pm BST 2.24pm BST14:24 80 min: The excellent Ward-Prowse is replaced by Djuricic. He’s earned the warm reception he’s getting. 2.23pm BST14:23 2.23pm BST14:23 78 min: Grealish is fouled for the 984th time. The free kick is hit long into the Saints box, clanking into the feet of Okore. The ball breaks to Cleverley on the edge of the area. He should have a first-time lash, but opts to embark on a pointless dribble instead. He’s crowded out easily enough. 2.20pm BST14:20 76 min: Mane makes good down the right, Lowton all over the place. Okore sticks a leg out to block the cross, but only cushions a pass back to Clyne, who has a little time, just inside the box, to the right of goal. He blooters over. Okore, though. 2.18pm BST14:18 74 min: Wanyama busies himself near the right-hand corner of the Villa six-yard box, latching onto a Clyne cross. His bustle earns a corner, which is hit long by Ward-Prowse. Yoshida, with his first touch, nearly buries a header at the far post, but his effort is blocked by the strong arm of Given. So close to Southampton’s sixth. Updated at 2.18pm BST 2.16pm BST14:16 72 min: Yoshida replaces Davis. 2.15pm BST14:15 71 min: Quite a few Villa passes, but nothing of note in the final third. So long as the scoreboard is no longer clicking around like the dial of a jiggered washing machine, eh? 2.13pm BST14:13 69 min: Delph goes on a scamper down the middle of the park, and is clipped in the centre circle by a sliding Wanyama. Delph goes down cheaply, but that’s a deserved booking nevertheless. 2.12pm BST14:12 67 min: Grealish is putting himself about. He’s nudged in the back by Long, and this’ll be another free kick for Villa deep in Saints territory, in a central position. Before it’s taken, Lowton comes on for Bacuna. Then Delph looks for the head of Benteke, but doesn’t manage it. Southampton have taken their foot off the gas in attack, but they’re keeping the back door firmly shut. 2.10pm BST14:10 66 min: Villa triangulate in the pretty style down the left wing. Saints get fed up, and Grealish is upended. A free kick just outside the area. Grealish floats it to the far post, where Gazzaniga punches out for a corner. The resulting set piece is half-cleared, and then cleared. 2.07pm BST14:07 63 min: A corner down the right for Villa. Grealish lumps it straight over everyone. “Call me crazy but I like the look of Hutton at left back. You know, because that way he can cut inside to shoot with his dangerous right foot.” JR in Illinois, there, with some of the old satire. 2.06pm BST14:06 61 min: Pelle very nearly scampers clear down the inside-right channel, but can’t take the ball in his stride. He recycles it, though, turning and curling a cross into the box where Long attempts to volley home from the edge of the area. He doesn’t connect properly, his effort dribbling wide right. But Villa looked open at the back again. I’m sure they’ve been given the task of winning this second half, and perhaps keeping a clean sheet, but that looks a pipe dream right now. 2.04pm BST14:04 60 min: Ward-Prowse hoicks a free kick into the Villa box from the left. It’s a delightful teaser, trundling along the corridor of uncertainty. Fonte nearly gets on the end of it, at the right-hand post, but it’s flicked away by a white shirt, and that’s a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece. 2.02pm BST14:02 58 min: Hutton nips in from the left and thinks about shooting. Then he actually does it, the ball finding the top-right corner of the stand behind the goal. You’ll have seen better efforts. He’s having something of a shocker for Villa today, though he’s hardly alone in that respect. See also: Given, Vlaar, Okore, Bacuna, Delph, Westwood, Cleverley, Grealish, Benteke, N’Zogbia. 2.01pm BST14:01 57 min: Villa knock it around the back. Given nearly plays a pass straight to the buzzing Long. The keeper has been reduced to a bag of nerves. 2.00pm BST14:00 56 min: Villa swap N’Zogbia for Agbonlahor. 1.56pm BST13:56 53 min: A bit of Villa possession in the middle of the park. They’re not really going anywhere, but baby steps and all that. 1.55pm BST13:55 51 min: Ward-Prowse curls a cross into the box from the left. Hutton mistimes his leap, but Long does as well. Given was off his line flapping around too. Villa are still all over the place at the back. 1.54pm BST13:54 50 min: Alderweireld, deep on the left, sweeps a gorgeous diagonal pass to Long on the right. Long slips the ball down the flank for Clyne, whose deep cross is hacked out of play by a sliding Vlaar. That’ll be a corner on the left. Ward-Prowse whips it into the mixer, where it skims a Villa head. Long attempts to connect at the right-hand post. It’d have been Southampton’s sixth if he managed it, but he can’t. Another corner, from which the ball’s whipped in from the right. Given comes out to punch, but only finds Fonte, who screws a defender’s effort wide right from the edge of the D. 1.51pm BST13:51 47 min: A free kick for Villa down the left. A chance to load the box. N’Zogbia curls it deep, but there’s nobody in white at the far post. Bacuna goes down, having clanked into an opponent, but the referee isn’t having any of it. 1.50pm BST13:50 It's the second half! Tim Sherwood has sent his team back out early, to be laughed and pointed at. No changes. He doesn’t look very happy at all, though he has the good grace to shake the hand of a young Saints fan as he makes his way back to his seat. Villa get the ball rolling again. Within 17 seconds, a ball’s slipped down the Saints left, releasing Long on goal. You’d pay cash money to see Sherwood react to seeing one billowing the net now, but the flag goes up for offside, correctly. 1.47pm BST13:47 “I’ve just spoken to Robbie Fowler, he’s back home crying his eyes out.” Steve McManaman on BT Sport there, playing it for laughs. Presumably. Poor old Liverpool suffer blow after blow. Is it not enough that Steven Gerrard is doing one later today?! Everything changes. “I’m taking advantage of being in Avila for the weekend - I thought the name sounded like my favorite football team,” reports Paul Flint. “I have just stopped off at the shrine of Santa Teresa to pray for a second-half miracle. She told me Delph should play deeper and Grealish pull his socks up.” 1.38pm BST13:38 Half-time entertainment: Until this afternoon, Robbie Fowler had scored the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history, in four minutes and 33 seconds against Arsenal in 1994. Sadio Mane’s bettered that effort by a whole minute and 37 seconds! Still, it wasn’t half bad either ... 1.36pm BST13:36 HALF TIME: Southampton 5-1 Aston Villa Tim Sherwood storms down the tunnel, powered by thick jets of smoke parping out of his lugs. He didn’t bother to celebrate Benteke’s header. Saints, it should be remembered, actually scored six good goals in that half. What a performance by the home team. What a dismal effort by the visitors. The second half should be rather interesting. 1.33pm BST13:33 GOAL! Southampton 5-1 Aston Villa (Benteke 45 +3) Bacuna is sent scampering into space down the right. He loops a gorgeous cross to the far post, where Benteke plants an unsaveable header into the top left. The comeback’s on! Updated at 1.41pm BST 1.32pm BST13:32 45 min +2: I’m guessing Villa didn’t want to see three added minutes on the board. However... 1.32pm BST13:32 45 min +1: There will be three added minutes. Pelle, chasing down the inside-right channel, prepares to hoof one goalwards from 30 yards, but Vlaar gets a boot in. Corner, which is cleared by Villa, after a fashion. 1.30pm BST13:30 45 min: The first lull of the first half! “As a Bury supporter I’m slightly worried that our record FA Cup final win of 6-0 in 1903 may be beaten by Arsenal in two weeks time,” worries Bernard Walsh. 1.28pm BST13:28 43 min: Wanyama whips a cross into the Villa box from the right. Pelle connects with purpose at the near post, but his shot is blocked by Okore, who was flailing around on the floor and knew nothing about it. 1.27pm BST13:27 42 min: Hutton sends a dribbly daisycutter into the hands of Gazzaniga from 35 yards. It’s a shot on target, Villa’s first, give Hutton that at least. 1.26pm BST13:26 40 min: “Are you Sunderland in disguise?” wonder the home supporters. Saints battered the Black Cats 8-0 earlier in the season, of course. On the Villa bench, Sherwood covers his face with his hands. He’s not sobbing yet, but there are still 50 minutes plus stoppages to go. 1.25pm BST13:25 WHAT A GOAL! Southampton 5-0 Aston Villa (Long 38) This is simply astonishing. Villa are a shambles. Bacuna passes the ball inside from the Villa right. Westwood dallies on the ball in the centre circle, and is robbed instantly by Long, who takes a stride forward and curls a stunning 45-yarder up and over Given, and into the top-right corner of the net. A brilliant, brilliant strike, take nothing away from the striker’s effort. But Aston Villa are a disgrace this afternoon. Updated at 1.37pm BST 1.22pm BST13:22 37 min: Delph, striding down the inside-left channel, opens his body and looks to curl one into the top-right corner. It’s not a bad effort, but a little wide right and high. 1.21pm BST13:21 35 min: A free kick for Villa down the left. They load the box. Grealish decides to slide a pass inside for Okore, who wasn’t expecting it. Villa’s heads are swimming. Even the simple stuff is descending into mild farce. This game is over already, but they desperately need to hear the half-time whistle, in order to lay some damage-limitation plans. 1.19pm BST13:19 33 min: Bacuna and Okore are asleep. Pelle and Long snap away at their heels. Tackles are missed, and Long is sent scampering into the area from a tight angle on the left. He looks to float a chip over Given and into the top right, but it’s not quite on target. Also, he’s clipped the heels of Bacuna, who got away with that one. Villa’s defence is all over the shop, though that’s hardly news now. 1.17pm BST13:17 31 min: Mane slides the ball down the right wing for Clyne, who whips a cross to the near post. Pelle shapes to swivel and batter a shot towards the bottom right, but his effort is blocked by Vlaar. The amount of space Saints have enjoyed down that flank! The recalled Alan Hutton might be the focus of some half-time discussion in the away dressing room. 1.15pm BST13:15 28 min: Saints have actually scored five, of course. No wonder Tim Sherwood’s standing on the touchline, hands on hips, fuming, a perfect picture of impotent disbelief. 1.13pm BST13:13 GOAL! Southampton 4-0 Aston Villa (Long 26) Villa can’t get anything going. Hutton swings a ball into the Saints box from the left, but it’s headed clear by Fonte with a yawn. Saints burst upfield. Mane slaloms down the right, and rolls a ball down the channel which releases Pelle on goal. Given, who has done little wrong so far but had no luck whatsoever, comes off his line to block the shot, but the ball squirts wide right to Long, who slips the ball into the unguarded net. It’s taken Saints 13 minutes and 12 seconds to rack up their goals, and quite a few Villa fans are leaving in a huff already. Really? Updated at 1.28pm BST 1.09pm BST13:09 24 min: Olé! Olé! Olé! Olé! Olé! Olé! No prizes for identifying which set of fans. And the response? “We’re gonna win 4-3.” This earns a round of applause which rings around St Mary’s. A strange mix of carnival atmosphere and gallows humour. 1.07pm BST13:07 22 min: A free kick for Villa, and a chance to load the Saints box. And so it’s easily cleared, Mane racing through the midfield, with Villa light at the back. Westwood has no choice but to clip his heels in the centre circle, and take one for the team. A booking. 1.06pm BST13:06 20 min: Tim Sherwood wasn’t very happy when Christian Benteke attempted that overly engineered shot on 11 minutes. He’s properly seething now. That was an astonishing goal blitz by Southampton, but Villa didn’t help themselves. Their defence has been a risible shambles. 1.04pm BST13:04 18 min: Pelle is sent on a scamper down the inside-right channel. Upon reaching the edge of the box, he aims for the top right, but Given claims this one. Told you this wasn’t going to end goalless. Wow. Sadio Mane! 1.03pm BST13:03 ASTONISHINGLY QUICK HAT-TRICK! Southampton 3-0 Aston Villa (Mane 16) Long is sent scampering down the left wing, in acres of space. Villa are back-tracking, in an awful panic. Long waits and rolls a pass inside, across the front of the area. Mane opens his body and lashes a shot into the top-right corner! Robbie Fowler scored his famous hat-trick against Arsenal in 4 minutes 33 seconds. Mane has scored his in 2 minutes 56 seconds! It’s the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history! Updated at 1.29pm BST 1.00pm BST13:00 GOAL! Southampton 2-0 Aston Villa (Mane 14) Another tap-in for Mane! Long, pressing down the right, panics Vlaar into a terrible back-pass. Given rushes out in another futile attempt to smother. The ball squirts past him, and Mane lashes into the unguarded net! Updated at 1.20pm BST 12.59pm BST12:59 GOAL! Southampton 1-0 Aston Villa (Mane 13) Yep, a goal had been coming. A long ball pumped down the middle by Gazzaniga. Pelle wins the header. Mane bursts through the middle. Given comes out to smother, but only manages to ricochet the ball off the striker, who taps into an empty net. Charles Reep would take his hat off. Updated at 1.18pm BST 12.57pm BST12:57 11 min: Delph caresses a lovely ball down the left-hand channel to release Benteke into the Saints area. He’s got to hit the target, battering the ball with his left boot, but he opts to flick a clever ball towards the bottom-left corner with the outside of his right. Not clever enough; it’s slapped into the side netting. 12.56pm BST12:56 10 min: Grealish is upended by Wanyama down the inside-left channel. The free kick’s hit long towards Bacuna at the right-hand post, but Davis is there to avert the danger. There’s no way this will end goalless, surely. Both teams are very much on the front foot. Updated at 1.00pm BST 12.55pm BST12:55 9 min: Well this has been a breezy start. Bertrand strokes a lovely ball down the left wing to release Pelle into the area. No flag this time, but the finish isn’t as good either. Cutting into the box from the left, he looks to curl a sidefoot into the bottom right, but it’s straight at Given, who smothers. 12.52pm BST12:52 6 min: Bacuna goes on a drive down the right. He looks to cross, but his effort is deflected wide right of the goal for a corner. N’Zogbia loops the set piece to the far post. Gazzaninga claims, then drops the ball, but he gets away with the flap because Grealish has gently brushed his shirt. Nat Lofthouse wouldn’t have been happy with that decision. Or Alan Shearer. But this is where we are. 12.50pm BST12:50 4 min: The free kick is useless. It’s easily cleared. But the ball finds Wanyama out on the right wing. He loops the ball into the middle, where Pelle strides clear and batters a first-time low shot into the bottom right! It’s a lovely finish, with the inside of his right boot, passed into the net from 12 yards. A good goal, but the flag goes up for offside, as Long was a yard in front of the last Villa defender, standing around doing nothing. That’s a terrible decision. Saints should be in the lead. Updated at 1.15pm BST 12.48pm BST12:48 3 min: A fine atmosphere at St Mary’s. This is no end-of-season faff-about. Much riding on the result. Delph goes on a slalom down the inside-left channel but is bustled off the ball. Saints flood upfield, Long making good down the inside-right channel. Grealish clumsily bowls him over from behind and is fortunate to avoid a booking. This is a free kick for Saints in a dangerous position, 35 yards up the inside-right channel. 12.46pm BST12:46 And we're off! Saints get the ball rolling. Alderweireld gives the ball away cheaply with a loose pass in the general direction of Benteke, but the big man can’t keep control, and a combination of Alderweireld, Clyne and Gazzaniga clear up the mess. That’s a brisk start by Villa, and a sloppy one by the Saints. 12.45pm BST12:45 The teams are out! Saints are wearing their famous red-and-white stripes - not the new version yet - while Villa sport their rather classy white-with-claret-pinstripe away number. A lot of white on display out there. Do football kit designers, or those working in marketing departments, ever think things through? Nope. No they don’t. We’ll be off in a minute! 12.18pm BST12:18 Two changes for the Saints, with James Ward-Prowse and Shane Long replacing Harrison Reed and Eljero Elia. Goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga retains his place, first-choice Fraser Forster out with the old knee knack. Aston Villa meanwhile make one change to their winning line-up, Alan Hutton coming in for Kieran Richardson. It’s a lovely day at St Mary’s. Updated at 12.18pm BST 11.50am BST11:50 Dramatis personæ Southampton: Gazzaniga, Clyne, Fonte, Alderweireld, Bertrand, S Davis, Wanyama, Long, Ward-Prowse, Mane, Pelle.Subs: K Davis, Yoshida, Gardos, Djuricic, Elia, Reed, Targett. Aston Villa: Given, Bacuna, Okore, Vlaar, Hutton, Cleverley, Westwood, Delph, N’Zogbia, Benteke, Grealish.Subs: Guzan, Sinclair, Weimann, Agbonlahor, Senderos, Sanchez, Lowton. Referee: Robert Madley (West Yorkshire). 11.45am BST11:45 Preambulatory business [MBM reporter rummages around in large sack. Pulls out Bumper Book of Sporting Clichés. Ah yes, that’ll do. Flicks through book. Sticks pin in page of book. Ah yes. It’s a game of two halves; sub-section, a season of two halves.] It’s been a season of two halves for Southampton and Aston Villa. The first portion of the campaign was super for the Saints. At the start of November, a run of eight wins in nine games shot them up to second in the Premier League. Champions League football looked a distinct possibility for a team sparkling in attack and parsimonious in defence. Villa meanwhile were in the middle of a nine-game winless streak, at one point losing six in a row, and were scrabbling around ominously at the foot of the table. It looked seriously hairy for Villa, back there, for a while. But Tim Sherwood’s arrival has revived the club spectacularly, principally in attack. They’ve scored 13 goals in their last seven games, which OK, doesn’t exactly make them the second coming of Barcelona, but is some turnaround seeing they only scored 13 times in their first 27 league outings. A win this afternoon will guarantee their safety. Saints meanwhile have been floundering, with just three wins in their last 12 matches, and one point from the last four outings. What once looked a nailed-on European place now hangs on a shoogly peg. Saints need to win today, and next weekend, to be guaranteed a top-seven spot, and even then a place in the Europa League will be beyond their reach should Villa win their first FA Cup since 1957. As most of the country - with sincere apologies to Saints, Arsenal and Birmingham fans - are willing them to do. Both teams, then, are desperate for the win. Only Villa are in form, having won their last two. Southampton will take a little succour from the fact that their last four games at St Mary’s have earned them 10 points from 12. But then today’s visitors have a great record at Southampton’s new ground, having won on three of their six visits to date, losing just the once. So good luck in calling the outcome of this one. Should be a cracker. It’s on! Kick off: 12.45pm. |