It may not have been very sophisticated, but Sam Allardyce won't care. West Ham fought for a point here in a game that will be forgotten in a hurry, a dull goalless draw that only came to life once Hammers goalkeeper Adrian was sent off in the second half for handling the ball outside the area.
It should have been the turning point in an otherwise uneventful contest, but from the 61st minute onwards West Ham had everyone bar Andy Carroll behind the ball. In the end you had to admire their discipline, creating an insurmountable blue wall that Southampton were unable to penetrate.
Missed opportunity
It seemed like a missed opportunity for Ronald Koeman’s side, who had few clear opportunities on a night when they slipped behind Manchester United in the
Premier League
table, the Saints often guilty of over-elaborating in attack.
Koeman made two changes to the Southampton team which secured a late victory at Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, with young midfielder Harrison Reed and defender Florin Gardos coming in. West Ham also made two alterations after drawing with Manchester United: Carlton Cole and Morgan Amalfitano starting in place of Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan.
Ironic cheers
Southampton had the better of the scoring opportunities in a first-half that failed to ignite. There were ironic cheers from the West Ham supporters whenever their side opted for a long ball out of defence, following a week in which Allardyce and Louis van Gaal shared terse tactical views.
Yet, in truth, neither set of fans had much to cheer. Southampton certainly looked more dangerous in attack but could not capitalise on their pressure in the opening 20 minutes.
Sadio Mane was Saints' best player and it was his jinking run into the area following a smart backheel after 13 minutes that resulted in their best chance.
Cole was later replaced by Jussi Jaaskelainen following the red card to Adrian. The Spanish goalkeeper received the ball on the penalty spot and attempted to drop his shoulder and turn past Mane. The Senegal international read the dummy and got his body in between the ball and the keeper, who handled outside the area as he tumbled to the turf inside the D.
Pawson delivered the red card, but the decision was not without West Ham protests. – (Guardian Service)
