Southampton 2

  • C Archer 8'
  • J Aribo 28'

Leicester 3

  • F. Buonanotte 64'
  • J. Vardy 74' pen
  • J. Ayew 90'+8

Officials


  • Referee: Anthony Taylor
  • Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn
  • Fourth official: Simon Hooper
  • VAR: Alex Chilowicz
  • Assistant VAR: Simon Bennett


Premier League
St.Mary's - 3.00pm
Attendance: 31,145


    Intro

    Intro & Team News

    IBO Reporter: channonite

    Intro


    There has been a lot of noise leading up to this match, arguing that it is a must-win because they were one of the other two teams that came up with us from the Championship. I don’t agree with that line of argument, partially because Leicester seems to have had the evil eye over us these last few seasons and partially because it is way, way too early in the season to be talking that way. I understand the sentiment though; the Premier League is utterly unforgiving, and the standard has risen dramatically in the single season we were missing. Added to this, we are still a work in progress, from the manager all the way through the team.

    Leicester then. 9-0, Jamie Vardy and a whole load of baggage for Saints. They beat us convincingly both times last season, so why is the fanbase thinking this season will be any easier?



    Team News


    Leading up to matchday, we were told that Sulemana and Smallbone were fit again and that the latter would be involved on the day. I am not sure that either piece of news encouraged me at all.

    When the team was announced, the inclusion of Manning in the side totally confused me. What on earth was his role? The rest of the team made sense, and I couldn’t argue with it at all. Manning just stuck out as a confusing wildcard.

    Embed from Getty Images

    Cameron Archer scoring Saints first goal of the afternoon

    Match Report


    Match Report


    Embed from Getty Images

    Jo Aribo after scoring Saints' second goal with Kyle Walker-Peters who got the assist


    Report

    IBO Reporter: channonite

    |When I got up on Saturday morning, I felt very pessimistic, which is not like me. Usually, I always find something to be optimistic about. Not this morning. That feeling only got stronger the nearer we got to Southampton, and not even the complete lack of traffic jams in Southampton helped. We got to the restaurant early and were given our favourite table. Did that help? No. We got to the ground, and there was no queue. Straight in, but undoubtedly that must have helped? No. The misery moped was the choice of transport in my mind today.

    Once I sat down, I thought I might feel more optimistic. Was I? No! I was a right misery today. The teams came out, and I thought Martin’s team selection just confirmed my mood for the day.

    Saints then proceeded to confound me and started positively, almost immediately putting pressure on Leicester around their penalty area and winning a corner. Manning took it, and Joe Aribo thumped a header against the crossbar. It came back to Bednarek, and he flicked it towards Archer, who, although facing the wrong way, almost managed to get a shot on target, but it went wide for a goal kick. That woke me up.

    Shortly after, Manning was booked for what seemed to me to be an innocuous tackle, and their free kick came to nothing, with Ramsdale gathering the ball. He sent a perfect pass about 30 yards to Fernandes, who had his legs hacked from under him. Although Anthony Taylor (Remember that name 🤬) gave a free kick to Saints, he didn’t even speak to the guilty Buonanotte, let alone book him. Saints took the free kick quickly, and Walker-Peters set off down the left wing, passing outside to Manning as he cut in. He played a first-time pass across the face of the goal, and there was Cameron Archer to tap it into the net. 1-0 Saints and less than ten minutes gone. Wow!

    Saints continued to look good and got a stranglehold on the game, and for a while, Leicester couldn’t even get out of their half. You just felt that another goal was coming.

    Then, Fernandes passed to Walker-Peters, who was continually turning the Leicester defence inside out. He got to the byline and cut back to the waiting Joe Aribo, who had the simplest of jobs to score from no more than six yards out. 2-0 Saints, and not even half an hour gone!!

    The misery moped was consigned to the bin, but not before I commented that we only needed to score one more to get the draw...

    We almost got the third when a long throw-in from Sugawara found Harwood-Bellis, who headed goalwards but without any power. In amongst a gaggle of Leicester shirts, Downes managed to swivel and shoot, which went between Hermansen’s legs, but the keeper quickly spun around and recovered the ball.

    At this point, I am sure that Saints thought that, at last, this was going to be their day. Leicester were not quite down and out though. With some clever play down Saints right, Kristiansen made space and fed El Khannouss, who sent a vicious shot across the face of the goal, cannoning off the inside of the far post and out again. A warning to Saints.

    We got to halftime with the score still 2-0, and for the first time this season at St.Mary’s, we felt good. Two precious goals scored, and none conceded. Surely we could go on to win this? It is probably worth mentioning at this stage that Anthony Taylor (Remember him?) had shown yellow cards to Manning (6 minutes), Fernandes (10 minutes), Harwood-Bellis (33 minutes) and Dibling (36 minutes) without booking any Leicester player. This would suggest Saints were the aggressors, but to be honest, the match wasn’t at all like that. There was no talking to the players first, and they were then only issued a yellow if they continued. The slightest thing, and it was yellow. Maybe the Saints coaching staff should have taken notice.

    Anyway, the second half began with Leicester replacing Skipp with Winks.

    Several around us were a bit tardy returning to their seats, and they nearly missed what would have been one of the most spectacular own-goals you are ever likely to see. Sugawara sent a long speculative cross from deep in the Saints’ half, and the Leicester No.3, Faes, sent a crashing header towards what seemed a certain goal, but luckily for him, Hermansen made a spectacular diving save. Quite what Faes was trying to achieve only he knows, but it was another Saints chance which got away.

    Sugawara then received a yellow card from Mr Taylor, which was odd, as he had been clattered regularly, without so much as a Leicester player being spoken to.

    However, the warning signs had been there for a while now, and Vardy (spits...) almost scored, but for a wonderful block by Fernandes.

    Leicester now had Saints pinned in and around their penalty area, and things began to look a bit panicky. Steve Cooper’s decision to bring on Fatawu for Kristiansen was the catalyst for the change. Some may remember Fatawu scoring a hattrick at Filbert Street in April. I certainly did. The momentum of the game had changed entirely now.

    Despite this, there was another chance for Saints when Dibling went on one of his seemingly slow-motion runs, where nobody seems able to lay a finger on him (How does he do that?!), and sent a vicious shot, which Hermansen was grateful to save lowdown at the near post.

    It was against this backdrop that Martin made his significant error. Sugawara had been struggling after Vardy (Spit...) had clattered him. It seemed straightforward to us in the stands. 2-0 up and just steady the boat. Bring on Taylor at left back and move Walker-Peters across to the right. Fernandes was also labouring, having been the subject of some pretty unpleasant treatment by some of Leicester’s finest. It’s time to bring on Lallana to control things. No, not a bit of it. Instead, he brings on Fraser, Smallbone and Onuachu for Sugawara, Fernandes and Archer. WTF?!

    While this drama was being played out on the sidelines, Leicester pulled a goal back...

    That man Fatawu went marauding down Saints’ left, turned Fraser inside out, reached the byline and cut back for Bouonanotte to bundle in. 2-1. Simple.

    The introduction of Onuachu certainly gave Saints something different, and the big man proved a thorn in the side of the Leicester defence as he started to put himself about in the penalty area. Twice, in a short space of time, he got onto the end of crosses into the box, but on the second occasion, he was clearly held by Ayew in the area. Not just for a brief moment either, with the Leicester man holding him for at least three or four yards. Penalty? Mr Taylor just waved play on. VAR? No. You are fecking joking!

    Up the other end we go, with Fatawu ending up hitting the crossbar. You just knew this game would not end up 2-1. The ball remained in play, and it seemed that it had been cleared behind after a scramble around the goalmouth. Wait, Vardy (Spit...) has his hands up, appealing for something. Mr Taylor stands having a conversation with VAR and then goes to the sidelines (right in front of us) to look at the monitor. It seems that there was a barely perceptible tug on Vardy’s shirt by Fraser. Mr Taylor turns, gives the dreaded rectangular gesture, and points to the spot. Then he reaches for his pocket, produces a red card, and shows it to Fraser. The Wee Scot is sent off.

    The crowd is just stunned. If the Onuachu tug-of-war is not a penalty, then how can this one be? In the cold light of day and seeing the incident in slow motion, this decision is right, but really, Anthony Taylor, the Onuachu incident was a slam-dunk penalty all day long. Dreadful refereeing - simply dreadful.

    Back to the game, and Vardy (Spit...) steps up and converts the penalty to make it 2-2 with probably at least 20 minutes to go. Feck.

    Martin reacted by sending on Taylor and Sulemana for Manning and Dibling, who were already on yellows.

    Let’s just gloss over most of the balance of the game until the 90 minutes were up, when the fourth official indicated a minimum of 7 minutes of time added.

    Leicester seemed to be taking their time in possession, which struck me as strange, considering how much on top they were. Into the last couple of minutes of the allotted extra time, Faes played out wide to Fatawu, who dummied Aribo going around him to the byline, where Taylor tackled him, the ball going behind for a corner. With the seven minutes now up, Winks took the kick, and it went straight to Ayew hanging back outside the area. He looked up, and his shot went through a crowd of players. Ramsdale saw it late and almost got to it, but it went between his outstretched left hand and the post. Goal! 2-3. Feck, feck, feck, feck. Leicester win it with the last kick of the game in the 98th minute. Un-fecking-believable...

    I remember a seething rage that lasted me through the whole three hours of an hour and a half journey home (don’t ask!) and well into the next day. There were so many things wrong with the course of this game that I don’t know where to start. The appalling refereeing, the rubbish substitutions by Martin, or the sneaky shithousery of Leicester. The sense of injustice was overwhelming.



    Man of the Match


    There is only one candidate for this - step forward Anthony Taylor for one of the single worst refereeing performances that I have seen for years. And that includes the worst of Mike Dean. I just hope never to see you again. 👎 🤬 😡

    image

    This is apparently fine and not a penalty 🤬

    Teams/Stats


    Teams



    Southampton

    Manager: Russell Martin


    • 30, A. Ramsdale
    • 2, K. Walker-Peters
    • 35, J. Bednarek
    • 6, T. Harwood-Bellis 33', Yellow 33’
    • 16, Y. Sugawara, Yellow 49’, (R. Fraser 62', Red 78’)
    • 3, R. Manning, Yellow 6’, (C. Taylor 78’)
    • 18, Mateus Fernandes, Yellow 10’, (W. Smallbone 68’)
    • 4, F. Downes (c)
    • 7, J. Aribo
    • 33, T. Dibling, Yellow 36’, (K. Sulemana 78’)
    • 19, C. Archer, (P. Onuachu 68’)

    Substitutes

    • 9, A. Armstrong
    • 24, R. Fraser
    • 10, A. Lallana
    • 1, A. McCarthy
    • 32, P. Onuachu
    • 8, W. Smallbone
    • 20, K. Sulemana
    • 21, C. Taylor
    • 26, L. Ugochukwu

    Leicester

    Manager: Steve Cooper


    • 30, M. Hermansen
    • 16, V. Kristiansen, (A. Fatawu 59’)
    • 5, C. Okoli
    • 3, W. Faes
    • 2, J. Justin
    • 22, O. Skipp, (H. Winks 46’, Yellow 70’)
    • 6, W. Ndidi
    • 10, S. Mavididi, (B. De Cordova-Reid 88’)
    • 11, B. El Khannouss, (J. Ayew 68’)
    • 40, F. Buonanotte 62', Yellow 62’
    • 9, J. Vardy (c)

    Substitutes

    • 18, J. Ayew
    • 21, Ricardo Pereira
    • 4, C. Coady
    • 14, B. De Cordova-Reid
    • 7, A. Fatawu
    • 24, B. Soumaré
    • 1, D. Ward
    • 8, H. Winks
    • 29, O. Édouard

    Match Stats


    • Overall Possession:
      • Southampton 42% - Leicester City 58%
    • Shots:
      • Southampton 14 - Leicester City 18
    • Shots on target:
      • Southampton 7 - Leicester City 4
    • Shots off target:
      • Southampton 5 - Leicester City 10
    • Blocked shots:
      • Southampton 2 - Leicester City 4
    • Total touches in the box:
      • Southampton 29 - Leicester City 41
    • Goalkeeper saves:
      • Southampton 1 - Leicester City 6
    • Aerial duels won:
      • Southampton 12 - Leicester City 7
    • Fouls:
      • Southampton 10 - Leicester City 10
    • Corners:
      • Southampton 10 - Leicester City 6
    Embed from Getty Images

    Words can't begin to describe the feeling. 🤬

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