I’ll leave you with Nick Ames’ match report from Villa Park. Thanks for your company - bye!
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Here’s the player of the match, James Ward-Prowse
“It’s nice to get a couple of goals on your birthday. I’m living my boyhood dream so I’m happy. I think we got a little bit complacent towards the end – we’re growing as a team and the next step for us is to manage those moments.
“We’re a totally different team to a year ago. I feel like we’re on the right path to get back where we belong, which I believe is in the top ten. We had a taste of European football a few years ago and with the manager and players we’ve got I think we can get back there.”
Southampton move up to third after a clinical away performance. They had less possession than Villa and half as many shots, but their finishing was ruthless. In fact, they scored with all four shots on target: a bullet header from Jan Vestergaard, two masterful free-kicks from the birthday boy James Ward-Prowse and a spectacular curler from Danny Ings.
At that stage Southampton were 4-0 up, but the irrepressible Jack Grealish helped Villa save plenty of face. He made two and then scored a fine goal in the last minute of injury time to complete another crazy match in this bizarro Premier League season.
Full time: Aston Villa 3-4 Southampton
Peep peep!
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Grealish pulls down a crossfield pass on the chest, cuts inside Walker-Peters and surprises McCarthy at the near post with a sudden shot from the left edge of the area. It’s too late for Villa to save the game but they have restored plenty of pride.
GOAL! Aston Villa 3-4 Southampton (Grealish 90+7)
Football has gone mad.
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90+4 min The last man Mings makes a vital sliding tackle on Armstrong, who lent the ball to Walcott and looked set to surge through on goal.
93 min Villa now trail 7-2 in the two home games since that 7-2 win over Liverpool.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-4 Southampton (Watkins 92 pen)
Watkins scores emphatically, curling the ball into the right-hand corner. McCarthy went the wrong way.
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91 min: Penalty to Villa! Grealish goes over after an inept challenge from Diallo; a clear penalty. Diallo is booked.
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90 min Six added minutes.
89 min McCarthy makes a camera-friendly save, flying to his right to hold Douglas Luiz’s long-range strike.
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88 min Grealish has an optimistic shot blocked by Walker-Peters.
87 min I think Villa have finally accepted defeat.
84 min Ings is going off. He feel really awkwardly, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he has suffered ligament damage. He limps off to be replaced by Shane Long.
83 min Ings is down after being sandwiched by a couple of Villa defenders. It looks like his left knee, which is a worry for Southampton, though he doesn’t seem to be in too much pain.
81 min “Is this the first game with rhyming goalscorers since the days of Wright & Bright?” asks Niall Mullen. “I‘m struggling to think of others. I don’t think Louis Saha ever crossed paths with Wilf Zaha and I’m certain Kevin DeBruyne never did battle with Tommy Coyne.”
Tommy Coiner?
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80 min Barkley’s clipped corner is headed powerfully towards goal by Mings, and McCarthy leaps to tip it over the bar. I think it was going over anyway but he took no chances.
79 min Bertrand is unable to continue - he is replaced by Ibrahima Diallo. He moves into midfield and Ward-Prowse moves to left-back.
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78 min There’s a break in play while Douglas Luiz and Ryan Bertrand receive treatment.
76 min The lively substitute Trezeguet has another pop at goal, this time with a volley into the ground that bounces up awkwardly and is pawed over the bar by McCarthy.
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73 min: Ings has a goal disallowed for offside. It was another classy finish, flipped gently over the outrushing Martinez, but replays confirmed he was offside when Adams played the ball through to him.
71 min Targett and Trezeguet combine again. This time Trezeguet chests a cross down and hits a volley that is too close to McCarthy.
69 min Vestergaard makes a brilliant block from Trezeguet, who pulled down Targett’s deep cross on the chest and hammered the ball towards goal. It would have gone in the far corner but for Vestergaard’s block.
67 min A Villa substitution: Ahmed El Mohamady replaces Matty Cash.
67 min Targett goes over in the area after a shoulder charge with Walker-Peters. No penalty; if anything Targett fouled Walker-Peters
65 min Villa don’t look like a team who have accepted defeat, even though they are 4-1 down. They’re playing with much greater purpose in the second half.
A left-wing corner was only half cleared by Southampton, with the ball eventually coming to Grealish on the left. He teased a lovely cross towards the six-yard line, where Mings got in front of his man and flicked a header past McCarthy.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-4 Southampton (Mings 62)
Make that scored one and conceded seven.
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61 min Since that surreal 7-2 win over Liverpool, Villa have scored none and conceded seven in two games at Villa Park.
59 min Ward-Prowse, who is on a hat-trick, shoots over from long range.
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What a brilliant goal. Southampton moved the ball neatly through midfield, from right to left, with Armstrong finding Ings in the inside-left channel. He moved inside Cash, onto his right foot, and leathered a booming curler that flew into the net off the underside of the bar. Ings is such an accomplished finisher from all distances.
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GOAL! Aston Villa 0-4 Southampton (Ings 58)
Pick that out (reprise)!
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56 min Armstrong, picked out by Adams, sweeps a shot just wide from the edge of the area. I think Martinez had it covered.
55 min In other news.
52 min: Good save(s) from McCarthy! Grealish’s fast, deep cross from the left is met with a firm stooping header from Trezeguet, and McCarthy reacts smartly to kick it away with his left foot. Moments later he makes another important save, springing to his left to push Grealish’s header away from danger.
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51 min “My 13-year-old son is just getting into football, debating with me the merits of so-and-so on FIFA 21 and kicking the ball too hard when I’m in goal,” says Bill Hargreaves. “I use the Saints as an example of good recruitment when discussing the merits of club leadership. To whit today’s performance.”
Good recruitment and good coaching, too. The next really big Premier League job that becomes available might well be offered to Ralph Hasenhuttl.
50 min It’s been a quiet start to the second half. I was going to say both teams know the game is over, but in this season of the absurd that’s not necessarily the case.
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49 min A good stat on Sky Sports: Ward-Prowse is the first player in the Premier League era to score two free-kicks in the first half of a game.
48 min “A provincial, medium-sized club have an underrated English striker whose pace and intelligence makes him a consistent scorer, a hardworking midfield who are finding a few goals when they need them and a no-nonsense defence that concede far fewer than they used to,” begins Gary Naylor. “There’s spirit forged in the shared trauma of a peep over the relegation chasm the year before too. Southampton weren’t 5000/1 for the title were they?”
Leicester lost 5-2 at home to a north London team at the start of 2015-16, as well. I can’t stop tapping my nose now.
46 min Jack Stephens has come on for Southampton to replace Jan Bednarek, who had that awkward landing in the first half. If he’s concussed, Southampton might have some questions to answer about why he was allowed to continue.
46 min Peep peep! Villa begin the second half.
Half-time reading
Half time: Aston Villa 0-3 James Ward-Prowse
Southampton are on their way to third place in the Premier League. James Ward-Prowse made the first goal for Jan Vestergaard and then scored two majestic free-kicks. The scoreline is harsh on Villa - it’s been a fairly even game - but Southampton have been merciless.
45+1 min Two minutes of added time. James Ward-Prowse is having a helluva birthday.
That was even better than the first free-kick, because Ward-Prowse had less space to get the ball up and down. He whipped it over the wall and into the top-left corner, with Martinez motionless on the other side of the goal. Brilliant.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-3 Southampton (Ward-Prowse 45)
It’s deja vu all over again!
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44 min It’s another chance for Ward-Prowse, this time from 19 yards...
43 min Cash is booked for deliberately handling the ball just outside the area. Southampton are arguing he should be sent off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. Is that allowed? I’ll level with you, I’ve no idea. But Walcott was waiting behind him and would have been through on goal with an assured first touch.
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42 min There’s been an undercurrent of niggle throughout the first half, and a 21-man brawl isn’t completely beyond the realms.
41 min Cash thumps Ward-Prowse, an old-fashioned man-and-ball challenge near the touchline. Ward-Prowse springs to his feet with murder in mind, then realises he’s on a yellow card and thinks better of it.
38 min Watkins has a close-range shot blocked by Martinez. He was offside anyway.
37 min Grealish skips past Walker-Peters before hitting a low cross that is put behind for a corner by the sliding ... Ings. That sums up Southampton’s work-rate.
35 min The scoreline is a bit harsh on Villa, if not on James Ward-Prowse’s right foot. His set-piece ability has led directly to both goals.
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James Ward-Prowse, who is 26 today, has doubled Southampton’s lead with a immaculate free-kick. He curled it over the wall at pace, towards the near side of the goal, and the ball whistled past the flying Martinez. Textbook stuff.
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GOAL! Aston Villa 0-2 Southampton (Ward-Prowse 33)
Pick that out!
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32 min Walcott finds some space between the lines and is fouled just outside the area by Douglas Luiz. This is perfect for James Ward-Prowse: 22 yards out, slightly to the left of centre.
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31 min “To stop humans from ruining useful technology I suggest that VAR can itself be overruled if teams are allotted and allowed to play ‘the aesthetic card’,” says Ian Copestake. “Given one per match, it overrides all interventions on the legality of a goal if said goal was recognised as a thing of beauty and if an aesthetic card is held up before the ball crosses the line. In case of disputes, VAR can be used to check if the card was raised before the ball crossed the line. Guidelines must be given in advance on what constitutes ‘raised’ and to show that the arm needs to be fully extended before the ball crosses the line. The whole ball needs to have crossed the line. VAR can also be used to make this determination.”
Typical anti-John Beck bias from the Guardian.
30 min Grealish is fouled by Walker-Peters on the left wing. Barkley clips the ball straight into McCarthy’s arms.
29 min Trezeguet replaces Traore, whose full Premier League debut lasted just over 28 minutes. He’s walking round the touchline so I assume it’s a muscle injury.
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28 min Now Traore is receiving treatment. He deliberately put the ball out of play and then went down on his haunches. Trezeguet is getting ready to replace him.
26 min We’ve seen a replay of the Walker-Peters throw that ultimately led to Southampton’s goal. On reflection I think it was fine.
24 min A nice training-ground free-kick from Villa. Barkley shapes to cross and then fizzes the ball into Traore in the D. He sweeps a first-time shot that takes a deflection and goes a few yards wide of the near post.
23 min Bednarek is on his feet, though he looks pretty groggy.
22 min Bednarek is receiving treatment after an aerial challenge with Watkins. He landed very awkwardly, head first in fact. Southampton are angry that play wasn’t immediately stopped.
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Ward-Prowse, on the right wing, whipped a superb free-kick towards the far post, where Vestergaard lost McGinn and thumped a header back across Martinez. What an emphatic finish. Villa aren’t amused because the free-kick stemmed from what looked like a foul throw by Walker-Peters. VAR doesn’t cover such matters.
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GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Southampton (Vestergaard 20)
Jan Vestergaard heads Southampton into the lead!
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18 min Walcott has a snapshot from the edge of the area. Throw-in to Aston Villa.
17 min After a slow start, Villa are starting to dominate. Grealish looks especially perky in possession.
14 min “The OED dates bouncebackability to Zanesville, Ohio, in 1961,” writes Andrew Goudie. “The Times Recorder noted that ‘The Tribe demonstrated its bounce-back ability in a three-game series with Washington, taking the set 2-1.’ And apparently it first appeared as one word without hyphens in 1991 in the Economist, of all places. I wonder if Iain Dowie (or Ray Jennings, for that matter) was a subscriber to either of these august organs.”
13 min The free-kick is a fair way to the left of centre. Barkley’s shot hits the wall and goes behind for a corner.
12 min Ward-Prowse is booked for a foul on Traore 22 yards from goal. Villa have had a good five minutes.
10 min Targett finds Grealish in space in the penalty area with a crisp square pass. Grealish takes the ball beautifully in his stride, turns and hits a shot that deflects just wide of the far post.
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7 min: Walcott hits the bar! Southampton have started superbly. They worked the ball smoothly from right to left, with Ings finding Walcott just outside the area. He floated a first-time shot that drifted over Martinez and onto the top of the bar. I think Walcott was aiming for the far corner rather than the centre of the goal, but it almost went in.
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6 min “Like all right-thinking people I love a sash strip (80s Crystal Palace, 70s Peru) but I always thought it was a called a bandolier strip and not sash,” says Niall Mullen. “Am I wrong (and pretentiously so)?”
It’s not about right and wrong any more, you know that.
NO GOAL! Aston Villa 0-0 Southampton
Adams was fractionally offside. He didn’t touch the ball but he did challenge Konsa.
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Ward-Prowse’s corner from the left was flicked on at the near post and hit Konsa before deflecting past Martinez. The issue is whether Adams, who challenged Konsa, was offside when Ings headed the corner across goal.
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GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Southampton (Konsa own goal 3)
This might be disallowed for offside.
2 min Bertrand slips a good pass into the area for Ings, whose cutback is blocked by the sliding Mings. I thought Ings might take the shot first time, albeit from a tight angle, but he let the ball run past him before trying to find somebody in the middle.
2 min Walcott has started on the left, the role usually played by Nathan Redmond. I can’t remember him playing there too often during his career.
2 min “Good to see Theo Walcott back and playing,” says Charles Antaki. “Southampton may be where he started, but he’s one of those players for whom the stint at Arsenal is the defining one. And few have left and retained the kind of affection reserved for the willing servant, the gifted trier, the obviously nice guy who gave the club his best years – of his cohort, other candidates might be Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky. Not, say Aaron Ramsey or even Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who did all too well after leaving…”
And chose to leave. That tends to facilitate a certain clarity among jilted supporters.
1 min Peep peep! Southampton kick off from right to left.
Here come the players. Villa are in claret and blue; Southampton are wearing their sashtastic third strip.
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“I remember SA cricketer/coach, Ray Jennings, using ‘bouncebackability’ at a few cricket coaching clinics in the early 2000s,” writes Ettiene Terblanche. “Tough nut, our Ray. Not sure he could dent the Dowie forehead, though.”
He managed to dent Graeme Smith’s, albeit with the aid of a cricket ball.
Pre-match reading
Sure, it’s not strictly related to Villa v Southampton, but it’s Marco van Basten FHS.
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Team news
Bertrand Traore makes his first Premier League start for Villa, while Theo Walcott replaces Nathan Redmond in the Southampton team.
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1) Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; McGinn, Douglas Luiz; Traore, Barkley, Grealish; Watkins.
Substitutes: Steer, Engels, El Mohamady, Hourihane, Trezeguet, Nakamba, Davis.
Southampton (4-2-2-2) McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Vestergaard, Bertrand; Romeu, Ward-Prowse; Armstrong, Walcott; Ings, Adams.
Substitutes: Forster, Stephens, Redmond, Djenepo, Diallo, Long, N’Lundulu
Referee Darren England.
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Preamble
Morning. It was a former Southampton player, Iain Dowie, who added “bouncebackability” to football’s vocabulary. It’s one of the more desirable qualities in sport and life, and the current Southampton team have it in spades. The extraordinary 9-0 defeat at home to Leicester a year ago somehow became a force for good - their win in the return game was the result of the season in my opinion - and they have responded equally impressively to being plugged 5-2 by Spurs in September.
Since that defeat Southampton have picked up ten points from four games, including three clean sheets. In the other match, the madcap 3-3 draw at Chelsea, they showed micro bouncebackability by coming from 2-0 and 3-2 down.
They are an admirable team, brilliantly coached by Ralph Hasenhuttl, and a win today would move them up to third - at least until Spurs play tonight. Villa, who have had an even better start to the season under the excellent Dean Smith, will go second if they beat Southampton. Their last match was a humbling 3-0 defeat at home to Leeds, which ended their perfect start to the Premier League season. There is one small upside to that defeat: it gives them a chance to show a bit of the old bouncebackability.
Kick off 12pm.
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