Ivan Juric’s first game as Southampton boss ended in a frustrating 1-0 defeat to West Ham, who themselves survived multiple scares, injuries and an overturned red card call on the way to victory through Jarrod Bowen’s second-half goal.
Croatian boss Juric arrived at bottom club Southampton promising “death metal” football and the Saints should have taken the lead through three first-half Paul Onuachu headers – two close-range efforts were saved and another fell wide.
Matheus Fernandes also missed a good chance with his header saved from close range as the Saints produced 0.84 xG in the opening period without scoring.
West Ham, who struck the bar through Carlos Soler in the opening minutes, were second best for most of the first half and any momentum was stalled by three first-half injuries. First, Max Kilman came off with a shoulder issue, before Lukasz Fabianski was stretchered off after colliding with Nathan Wood at a corner.
Lukasz Fabianski collided with Nathan Wood and was stretchered off with a serious injury
West Ham also lost Carlos Soler to a half-time switch after he limped down the tunnel at the break and it looked like it was getting even worse for the Hammers when Guido Rodriguez was sent off by referee Lewis Smith for an alleged two-footed lunge on Kyle Walker-Peters.
However, VAR demoted the red card to a yellow after seeing the midfielder slipped while making the challenge.
It proved important as West Ham got the lead minutes later as Tomas Soucek’s header across goal was flicked on by Niclas Fullkrug, allowing Bowen to tap home for his 100th career league goal.
West Ham could have added to that lead as substitute Crysencio Summerville fired wide from a good chance as Southampton fell asleep at the back, with Mohammad Kudus also hitting the side-netting as the mood dwindled at St Mary’s.
Onuachu missed his fourth big chance of the game as he nodded wide of goal on the verge of injury time, while Tyler Dibling fired over a good chance with virtually the last kick of the game. The Hammers held on to make it five games unbeaten in the Premier League, while Southampton remain rooted to the bottom.
Mateus Fernandes missed one of four big chances for Southampton in the first half
More to follow…
Analysis: Onuachu sums up Southampton’s striker woes
Paul Onuachu touched the ball 12 times in the West Ham penalty box. Eight were shots, seven of them were headers. Despite all of that accounting to 0.57 of Expected Goals, all of them failed to find the net.
In one game, the 6ft 7in striker showed new incoming manager Ivan Juric the exact uphill struggles he faces at Southampton – a sheer lack of goals.
The Saints have scored just 11 times in the Premier League from 17 games. More worryingly, they have just seven goals from eight home games.
This is a side who has spent a combined £75m on Onuachu, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Cameron Archer, Ben Brereton Diaz and Mateus Fernandes in the last 18 months – they have five Premier League goals between them. So many forwards, so little end product.
The intent was much better from Juric’s Southampton on Boxing Day. The more direct style brought an attacking verve that rattled West Ham in the first half, while wing-backs Yukinari Sugawara and Kyle Walker-Peters provided so much for Onuachu and Co.
But unless Southampton find their scoring touch, they won’t be getting off the bottom of the table any time soon.
