Southampton 1 Everton 0: Saints bag first win in huge relief to under-fire Russell Martin as Toffees rue missed sitter
ADAM ARMSTRONG ended Southampton’s agonising wait for their first Premier League win.
The Saints celebrations and sighs of relief were enough to register on the Richter scale.
It looked to be another case of some attractive football leaving Russell Martin’s side short such was the lack of quality at times.
Passes were pinged and possession high but chances wasted until Armstrong, the man whose goal earned promotion in May, struck in the 85th minute – moments after Beto had clattered the bar.
In front of Serbian owner Dragan Solak, Southampton and Martin knew they needed to deliver – and eventually they managed to crawl over the line.
Veteran Adam Lallana conducted an impressive and creative midfield alongside Flynn Downes and Matheus Fernandes – often exposing gaps in the Everton defence.
But each time they broke free, setting Cameron Archer or Armstrong away, the quality was not there to hurt the Toffees.
Archer, set away by Downes, raced through alone but dragged wide of the far post.
Having wasted a couple of crosses, Armstrong was unfortunate when Jordan Pickford got the slightest touch to one, just diverting the ball away from Ryan Manning who was alone awaiting a tap in at the far post.
Everton were offered a couple of chances when the hosts overplayed or were sloppy on the ball but were not showing the speed of thought to take advantage and should have gone in behind when Taylor Harwood-Bellis sent a free header wide just before the break.
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Lallana was replaced by Joe Aribo before the restart.
Southampton took their time to regain the threat they showed late in the first half and Aaron Ramsdale, who finally has a clean sheet for Saints, had to save a powerful Orel Mangala shot from the edge of the box.
Archer started to pose a threat in behind again and drew a foul from Michael Keane. From chaos caused by the free-kick Harwood-Bellis saw a shot deflected behind.
Martin added teen Tyler Dibling, absent from the start due to illness, to the attack in place of wing-back Manning.
The winger had Everton in reverse with his first involvement, charging the back line and sparking a move that ended with an Aribo header in Jordan Pickford’s hands.
Southampton were in the ascendency but desperately lack the killer instinct to capitalise on those moments.
Walker-Peters twice picked out Armstrong at the far post but there was too much power on the cross for the forward to convert.
Sean Dyche sent on Jack Harrison and Beto in a bid to turn the tide back the other way. Ramsdale made a brave but fortunate save from Keane’s far post header, tipping onto the post before the ball bounced back onto his shoulder and hit the post a second time.
The England keeper got a huge slice of luck ten minutes from time when Harrison’s dinked finish from Dwight McNeil’s cross dropped just wide of the post.
Sub Beto then crashed against the bar from close range.
Having clung on, Southampton finally showed a glimpse of quality.
Yuki Sugawara, sent on minutes earlier, was wonderfully picked out by Harwood-Bellis down the right.
The full-back cut back cleverly for Armstrong who fired low and hard past Pickford – his first Premier League strike of the season and one which could save his boss’ skin.
But Southampton do not do things easily. They have collapsed here already against Ipswich and Leicester – surrendering much needed points.
And they looked to have done it again on 88 minutes as Beto found the back of the net – but a desperately close and drawn out offside call eventually fell their way.
There is an awfully big gap still to close, but the first steps may have been taken.