Two Southampton players ended torturous waits here and, in so doing, deepened’s Hull’s anxiety. James Ward-Prowse converted a second-half penalty to claim his first Premier League goal on his 69th league appearance and then Graziano Pellè scored his first league goal in what, for a multimillion-pound international striker as opposed to a 20-year-old homegrown midfielder, must have seemed like an even longer series of blanks even if it only stretched back to December. So Southampton remain on course for European qualification, while Hull are in a hole.
Steve Bruce’s side have now gone six matches without a win and the threat of relegation is severe. The manager was already driven to take drastic action before the trip to St Mary’s, as he dropped goalkeeper Allan McGregor, whose fragility in recent weeks was proving costly. “Allan is a top-class goalkeeper but unfortunately in the situation we’re in he has lost a bit of confidence,” explained Bruce, who instead put his trust in the 40-year-old Steve Harper.
The veteran was given an unwelcome early test of his agility, as a reckless backpass in the opening seconds presented Shane Long with an opportunity to score against the club that sold him to Southampton last August. The Irishman spared his former club by rounding Harper with a hefty touch that took the ball out of play.
That start suggested trouble for Hull but, in fact, they composed themselves quickly and began to unsettle their hosts. The visitors emerged as the superior team in a scruffy first period and caused problems to a home defence in which Toby Alderweireld played at right-back rather than Nathaniel Clyne, with the manager Ronald Koeman claiming the England defender was omitted because of fatigue rather than his reluctance to sign a new contract amid speculation of a transfer bid from a top-four club.
Hull’s bright start was betrayed by weak finishing. Sone Aluko dragged a shot wide from 15 yards in the second minute and was denied four minutes later by a good save from Kelvin Davis.
Southampton’s chances of clinching a Champions League spot may have receded in recent weeks but Koeman has made it clear that qualifying for the Europa League would be a thrill for a club that have not competed on the continent since 2003-04. He was angered by his team’s meekness in the first half. “It took a long time to recognise my team,” he said. “It was looking nervous. If you fight for relegation you have to be nervous, but if you fight for something special in a season, why are you nervous?”
Koeman sought to stimulate improvement by replacing Victor Wanyama with Ward-Prowse at the break. But the visitors almost took the lead in the 54th minute, when Jake Livermore let fly from the edge of the area. Davis made a superb one-handed save.
Two minutes later Southampton took the lead thanks partially to a reckless tackle in the box by Alex Bruce on Long. Ward-Prowse slammed in the penalty, but only after Koeman told captain José Fonte to intervene to make sure that Sadio Mané did not take it, the Senegalese having grabbed the ball off the youngster. “Prowsey was accepting [Mané’s claim] and I don’t understand that because he knows he’s first choice,” said Koeman. “It was a difficult decision [to intervene] but that’s the problem of Mané. Rules in the team are more important.”
Hull, who had failed to score in 13 of their previous 23 matches, needed to sharpen up. They laboured hard but there was little sign of their toil bearing fruit. James Chester met a corner with a firm header but Ryan Bertrand whacked it off the line. Hull’s hopes were dashed nine minutes from time. It was no consolation to them that on this occasion it took a slick move to undo them.
After snazzy interplay Morgan Schneiderlin fed Pellè, who swept the ball gratefully into the net from close range. The Italian’s joy and relief were palpable. But Bruce had cause to be angry that the striker was still on the pitch, arguing that Pellè should have been sent off rather than merely booked for a first-half foul that left Alex Bruce with a broken nose. “He’s got away with one there because he has smashed him around the chops with his forearm and from what I’ve seen from the DVD, he’s done it deliberately,” said Bruce.
Bruce also bemoaned his side’s familiar bluntness up front, but insisted his team can avoid relegation despite a fearsome-looking fixture list. “We created chances but we didn’t take them and therein lies our problem,” said Bruce. “But if we take those chances, I’m still convinced we’ve got enough to stay in this league.”
• This article was amended on 11 April 2015 to reflect the fact Southampton played in the 2003-4 Uefa Cup.
