Russell Martin made clear there would be no rousing Churchillian team talk to try to transform Southampton’s ailing season and, frankly, maybe there is nothing anyone can do now to preserve their Premier League status.
They again had moments, as they so often do, usually courtesy of the prodigious 18-year-old Tyler Dibling, but the visitors, who have won once in the league all season, emerged from the wreckage empty-handed. Again, gallingly, for Saints, four points adrift at the bottom of the table, an individual error allowed the opposition to strike, Jhon Durán firing in to earn Aston Villa successive victories.
The decisive moment arrived midway through the first half. Diego Carlos floated a ball forward towards Durán and while Nathan Wood initially looked to have it under control, his grip quickly unravelled. Taylor Harwood-Bellis attempted to step in and help out but Durán pounced on the confusion, the Villa striker overpowering Harwood-Bellis and then shaking a floundering Wood, barging him out of view, before applying the finish. Durán, given a first league start of the season in place of Ollie Watkins and one of four changes by Unai Emery, seized his chance. John McGinn missed a chance to seal victory late on.
The reality is the back three of Wood, Harwood-Bellis and James Bree, who was replaced by Joe Aribo at half-time, were playing in the second tier last season and simply such defensive lapses usually go punished in this division.
After going behind, it always felt like a big ask for the Saints to mount a comeback. The wait for a first-half league goal away from St Mary’s this season goes on. Dibling was the catalyst for most positive glimpses, driving forward midway through the second half with the Villa substitutes Lucas Digne and Jaden Philogene in hot pursuit before freeing the returning the former Villa striker Cameron Archer, only for Boubacar Kamara to make a smart block.
Sam Amo-Ameyaw, another promising Saints youngster introduced off the bench, sent in a devilish left-foot cross from the right flank with his first touch, but Emiliano Martínez smothered the ball, which bounced invitingly on the edge of the six-yard box. Would Villa rue their failure to kill the game? Ezri Konsa prevented Kyle Walker-Peters’s deep cross reaching Adam Armstrong at the back post and deep into five minutes stoppage time Aribo squared for Armstrong, but the Saints captain failed to connect from close range.
After eight games without a victory, Villa have won twice in four days. Now Villa, up to fifth after holding on in filthy conditions here, can focus on attempting to return to winning ways on the continent, with RB Leipzig next up on Tuesday.
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Source: theguardian.com
