Matchday Blog Southampton VS Crystal Palace

Zaha scores late winner as visitors take all 3 points!

On the 30th of April, Southampton hosted Crystal Palace in a mid table Premier League clash on the sunny south coast. Both sides were still in with a chance of finishing in the top half of the table which gave them something to play for. Coming into this game, the Saints had won just one of their last 8 games in the league, drawing 2 and losing 5. That victory came in their previous home game as they saw off Champions League chasing Arsenal by beating them by one goal to nil. As for Palace they were winless in their last four games, though their 0-0 drw at home to Leeds United indeed their three game losing run. The Eagles had also failed to score in their previous three outings ahead of this game.

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl makes just one change from the 2-2 draw against Brighton on the previous weekend. Tino Livramento suffered a season ending ACL injury in that match, so Frenchman Romain Perraud came in at left-back, with Kyle Walker - Peters switching out to the right. Just one change for Crystal Palace as well as Jeffery Schlupp came in to replace Palace starman Wilfried Zaha who dropped to the bench. Ahead of this game, the visitors have just won one of their 12 Premier league away games at St Mary's Stadium, drawing 3 and losing 8, however that win came in January 2018 as they won 2-1. The south London side have also never kept an away clean sheet against Southampton in the Premier League.

The game kicked off and from the first 5 minutes, you could tell it was going to be a feisty affair between the two teams. 10 minutes into the game and set-piece specialist James Ward-Prowse delivers a beautiful cross from a corner and picks out teammate Oriol Romeu who nudges Palace midfielder James Mcarthur out of the way and headed the ball off the bottom of the crossbar and into the net to make it 1-0 to the hosts. Just before the 20 minute mark were starting to respond to Southampton’s opener and they had a great chance to equalise. Jeffrey Schlupp was starting to find some space down the left hand side and he put a wonderful cross into the middle and found an unmarked Conor Gallagher who nodded it just wide of the near posts. A let off for the Saints despite their poor defending. Not long after that more danger came down that left side from Schlupp as he bursted past Southampton defender Jan

Bednarek and then fizzed the ball into Jean-Phillipe Mateta at the near post who goes for power hitting it low towards the near post but it was saved by the right foot of keeper Fraser Forster. The visitors were unable to break Southampton down in the first half and Hasenhuttl would’ve been pleased with his side's performance in that opening 45. Palace didn’t necessarily play badly in the first half as they were able to find space but lacked quality in the final third, this would’ve come to Palace boss Patrick Viera’s attention and would’ve been confidently considering introducing Wilfried Zaha in ahead of the second half.

The second half got underway and Palace came out with a spring in their step so Viera must’ve got onto them during half time because 6 minutes after the restart and Palace had a great chance and Jordan Ayew played a dangerous ball across goal from the byline, Forster gets a big hand to it but pushed it straight to Schlupp, he quickly sorted his feet out before taking the shot, but Bednarek stands tall and blocked the shot. The visitors were really pushing for an equaliser at this point and on the hour mark Former Southampton full-back Nathaniel Clyne lifted the ball from the byline over everyone in the middle and it fell to Eberechi Eze on the far side who drilled it low under Forster’s legs to make it 1-1. A very composed finish from the Palace forward but the keeper should’ve done better.

92nd minute Palace were on the attack, Mcarthur played a lovely through ball into substitute Zaha on the edge of the box. He spinned away from Bednarek but still looked like there was a lot to do but he intelligently squeezed it through a gap towards the near post, and it rolled past Forster and hit the bottom of the upright on its way over the line to complete the comeback with minutes to go.

The whistle blew for full time and Palace snatched a late winner to win 2-1 over the Saints, as they did in their only other league win at St Mary’s in 2018. It was definitely a game of two halves, with Southampton enjoying the better of the first 45 minutes and kept the visitors frustrated. But that frustration quickly turned into joy in the second half and Palace deservedly went back to Selhurst Park with all 3 points.

Within minutes after that equaliser, 3 substitutions were made as Wilfried Zaha came on for Palace to replace Mateta who was on a yellow card. As for the Saints, Shane Long and Che Adams made way for Armando Broja and Stuart Armstrong. The final half hour of this game was constant domination for the visitors and they were then pushing for a winner to complete the turnaround and in the

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