Southampton 2-2 Brighton
Brighton came back from a two-goal deficit to grab a late point in a dramatic second half at the St Mary Stadium tonight.
On the first Monday Night Football of the new Premier League season, Southampton was coasting, at 2-0 up with three-quarters of the game gone, but they couldn’t see it out. The Premier League 2018 odds have Brighton as a likely candidate for relegation after their excellent survival campaign last season, but if they fight like they did in the second half they have a decent chance of a repeat.
Former Burnley strikers Charlie Austin and Danny Ings have linked up again at Southampton and have been clicking. But a hamstring injury to Austin left him sidelined. For long periods it looked like the Saints could cope without him. But Brighton’s spirited fightback put paid to that.
Highlights of the game
Brighton Keeper Mat Ryan has been in superb form, notably keeping Liverpool’s stellar attack down to one goal when the Seagulls visited Anfield. And he was the first of the two keepers to be called on, catching a header on goal from Long.
Then, on 20 minutes, there was chaos in the Brighton box but the visitors survived as Ings shot was blocked and Mo Elyounoussi blasted over. The Norway international signed for £16m this summer and is proving to be a livewire just behind the front two.
Brighton was without the influential Pascal Gross, out injured, for the first time since the Seagull’s promotion back in May 2017, and the visitors were looking lost without him. The Saints were dominating the midfield and another chance came on 27 minutes when Nathan Redmond crossed for Elyounoussi who headed wide when he should have scored.
When the Saints pressure finally told the opening goal was an absolute belter. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg picked the ball up around 30 yards out and hit it as sweet as you like into the far corner and beyond the dive of Ryan. What a beauty!
Make sure you take a look at the Premier league 2018 highlights to watch that one. It will be worth your while!
The first half had been comfortable for the Saints but the second was anything but. Brighton showed more adventure in the first few minutes of the second half than in the entire first 45.
Southampton keeper Alex McCarthy was finally brought into the game on 52 minutes, keeping a shot out from Anthony Knockaert after a swift Brighton break. The Saints seemed to have weathered the storm and were 2-0 up just after the hour when Cedric put Ings through, and as the striker weaved his way into the box Gaetan Bong clattered into him with a ridiculous challenge.
The ref pointed to the spot and Ings climbed to his feet to calmly roll the ball home.
But, just as we thought Brighton was dead and gone, the Seagulls were back in the game two minutes later when centre-back Shane Duffy got on the end of a long ball forward to head home.
Hughton brought Alireza Jahanbakhsh on, and the Iranian came close to an equaliser shaving the outside of the post after good work from Knockaert.
Then, with minutes remaining, McCarthy showed why he had been called up to the England squad with a brilliant save, but to no avail. Seconds later James Ward Prowse shoved Shane Duffy in the back and the ref gave another penalty.
Glenn Murray smashed home the spot-kick to send the Seagull’s fans wild.
Then Ryan came to Brighton’s rescue, pulling out a world class save to keep out Ryan Bertrand deep into injury time.
Brilliant second half!
Key Statistics
The Premier League 2018 results at the weekend left the Saints and Seagulls 13th and 14th in the table, and after this game that’s exactly where they stay.
The pre-match SBOBET odds had a draw at 3.25 and in the end, it was a fair result. The Saints dominated the first half but lost control in the second.
It was hugely frustrating for everyone in Southampton. Mark Hughes still hasn’t had back-to-back wins as a coach since January 2017, a period covering 52 league games.
And Murray has scored in all his three Premier League appearances against Southampton. They must be sick of the sight of him!
But Brighton still hasn’t won a Premier League game after going behind and has only won twice on the road since their arrival.
What’s next?
This was a huge point for Brighton, as they face Spurs and Manchester City in the next two weeks. They could still be outside the bottom three after those two games though.
It isn’t much easier for the Saints; they have trips to Liverpool and the dangerous Wolves. They really could have done with winning this one.
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