Right then, that’s all from me. Here’s the league table, and the match report. Bye!
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 20 | 24 | 44 |
| 2 | Man Utd | 21 | 10 | 41 |
| 3 | Leicester | 20 | 14 | 39 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 20 | 17 | 37 |
| 5 | West Ham | 20 | 6 | 35 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 19 | 14 | 33 |
| 7 | Everton | 19 | 5 | 33 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 19 | 13 | 32 |
| 9 | Arsenal | 21 | 6 | 31 |
| 10 | Chelsea | 20 | 10 | 30 |
| 11 | Southampton | 20 | 2 | 29 |
| 12 | Leeds | 19 | -3 | 26 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 21 | -11 | 26 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton | 21 | -9 | 23 |
| 15 | Burnley | 19 | -11 | 22 |
| 16 | Newcastle | 21 | -13 | 22 |
| 17 | Brighton | 20 | -7 | 18 |
| 18 | Fulham | 20 | -12 | 14 |
| 19 | West Brom | 21 | -33 | 12 |
| 20 | Sheff Utd | 21 | -22 | 8 |
Dean Smith is pleased:
Tough game against a good team. We had to be resolute at times. But we scored a wonderful goal, a great ball across, great header from Ross. We had to be very resolute at times. We got some great blocks at the end there, and a few VAR decisions in our favour as well. We’ve not had too many of them this season, that’s for sure. The offside ones, it’s the same for everybody and I’ve not complained about them once. The handball, I’ve not seen it back but Cashy says it comes off his thigh and PGMOL said if it comes off another part of your body it’s not given.
I thought we started alright. We know we’re playing against a good team, we had a good battle with them at Villa Park and another good game today.
Ralph Hasenhuttl has a chat, and is quite philosophical about the evening’s events. “Good players cost a lot of money and we don’t have money,” he says of the potential for more transfer business in this window:
I saw an interesting game I think, and I don’t know if we deserved to lose today. They had one big chance. They were good I think. They scored it. We had more I think, especially in the second half we played some good stuff. In the moment, a little bit hard to take. Also the decisions, they have told me it is a clear handball, fits a little bit to the whole situation with the injuries, with the offside goal from Ingsy. If it’s offside it’s offside. But football isn’t always fair, and at the moment it’s not for us.
We are so many people discussing about handball in the box. Let us concentrate on the things we can do better. Everybody can decide for themselves. It’s not for me to overrule the VAR, let them do their job and let us do our job.
Definitely we had a lot of possession in the first half, controlled the game, but you need to be around the box of the opponent. We didn’t do it, in the second half we did it better, we stressed them more. We are struggling at the moment with injuries but also with scoring goals. We are struggling to win games but we need to keep up our belief. I’m not so worried about our game. We had a lot of chances. But the final ball doesn’t want to go in. We had 20 shots on goal, five on target. It’s not enough. Either from set pieces or in the game we can score goals. It’s not happening now, but it will come back.
Villa manager in approving of decision that favours Villa shock:
Dean Smith agrees with the decision to disallow Danny Ings' late goal...#SOUAVL pic.twitter.com/mCPNKOdcxK
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) January 30, 2021
The Villa lads have been on the social media:
What a win that is. Tough place to come but great performance from the boys 🔥 #AVFC pic.twitter.com/GRWTrKsPwg
— Jack Grealish (@JackGrealish) January 30, 2021
What a team.What a performance from everyone. Clean sheet ✅ 3 points @avfcofficial #em26. Que gran partido de todo el equipo muy orgulloso de este grupo pic.twitter.com/sJKtswXoFU
— Emi Martínez (@emimartinezz1) January 30, 2021
Ben Fisher has filed his match report from St Mary’s Stadium:
Ten days after feeling aggrieved at Manchester City benefitting from a grey area of the rulebook, this time Aston Villa could count themselves fortunate after eking out victory courtesy of Ross Barkley after Southampton were deprived of a first-half penalty. The video assistant referee decided against awarding Saints a spot-kick when Matt Cash handled and, inevitably, with six minutes to play, it was the Villa defender who made a last-ditch block to deny Jack Stephens an equaliser after John McGinn flung his body on the line. Into stoppage time, Danny Ings had the ball in the net, leading Ralph Hasenhüttl to charge on to the pitch in delight, but the VAR again deflated the Saints.
Villa were not at their best but Barkley’s header earned a second win in six league matches. Southampton, too, have won admirers for their fearlessness this season but are sliding after winning just one of their past eight league matches. Things could have turned out differently had Southampton prospered from a late corner that led to three last-ditch blocks or if Ings had been a centimetre or two closer to halfway before poking in.
Much more here:
Looking at the goal, there were a couple of key factors. One is Ward-Prowse, being played out of position at right back and getting his positioning all wrong to leave Grealish with a clear run down the left, and the second was Barkley’s header, which was excellent, particularly in sending the ball back the way it came rather than the easier header across goal.
Ross Barkley is pleased.
We definitely needed that result. We put a shift in. We knew what we needed to do today and we’ve done the job. Obviously they’re a great side and they put pressure on you. I thought we dealt with it really well, defensively we were solid today, much improved from midweek. It was a great ball [for the goal], I just guided it in. You’ve got to get into the box to score a goal, and it paid off today.
Southampton were poor, but they were very unlucky not to have both a first-half penalty and a second-half goal, two questionable VAR decisions that fell in Villa’s favour.
Final score: Southampton 0-1 Aston Villa
90+8 mins: It’s all over, and Aston Villa snaffle the three points!
Updated
90+7 mins: Now Grealish is dancing with the ball by the left corner flag, and the game is surely up for Southampton.
90+6 mins: Bertrand had a shot from the edge of the area, which Martinez saved excellently, but Ings turned in the rebound at the second attempt. I fundamentally disagree with that goal being disallowed.
90+4 mins: Ings is indeed offside, it’s decided. His left arm was offside, to be sure, but if the rule is that you’re onside if no part of your body that you’re allowed to score with is offside, then Ings surely was.
Danny Ings' equalising goal is ruled out for offside! 😮#SOUAVL pic.twitter.com/4lGGI7N338
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) January 30, 2021
Updated
90+3 mins: Southampton have a goal disallowed for offside! Was Ings offside before he ran through to poke in a rebound? Over to VAR...
Updated
90+3 mins: Adams wins the ball well on the right, looks up and picks an excellent pass to Ings, who is on space on the far side of the penalty area, but his first touch is poor, and the chance is lost.
90+2 mins: Romeu was also injured, it seems. The Saints go marching into the physios’ room.
90+1 mins: Thanks to Southampton’s earlier injuries there will be six additional minutes at the end of the game.
89 mins: Grealish cuts infield from the left and is clipped by Djenepo just before he reaches the area. While Villa prepare their free-kick Southampton bring Jankewitz on for Romeu.
85 mins: Save! Goalline clearance! Another goalline clearance! From the corner, Bednarek’s header is saved, Adams’ shot is blocked, and Stephens’ shot is also blocked! What a game this has been in the four minutes since I announced it was a bad one!
Updated
84 mins: Chance! Ing’s pass is cut out by Mings but rolls to Redmond, whose shot deflects just over the bar!
83 mins: Grealish though is a one-man fun machine, and he drops a shoulder one way before going the other and leaving Romeu trailing, humiliated in his wake and pulling back for Traore, whose shot is saved. Almost worth the price of admission on its own, that.
81 mins: A game between a team that doesn’t want or need to score and another that has forgotten how to is not a very good one. “He’s probably not going to come on, but I can’t be arsed waiting till he does,” writes Ben Bennett. “I wonder whether Southampton will deliberate if they go zonal or man-to-man when it comes to who Marx Engels.” Very good indeed. Too good to waste waiting for it to be relevant.
78 mins: Martinez is a bit slow to come out and reach a back-pass, and Ings is that close to taking it off his toe!
Updated
77 mins: Another shot on target, but Ings’ 25-yarder, after he again drops deep to collect the ball, curls into Martinez’s arms.
75 mins: Armstrong curls a shot wide from 20 yards. Southampton have had 13 shots, and just one on target.
73 mins: Villa try to break, and a handy bounce leaves Djenepo, last man back and not even on the halfway line, battling McGinn. Djenepo gets his head to the ball, but it hits McGinn’s upper arm and bounces handily for either McGinn or Barkley to run clear, but the referee spots the handball and blows his whistle!
70 mins: Save! Ings turns provider this time, playing Adams through, but his vicious but too central shot is saved by Martinez!
68 mins: A bit of chaos in the Villa penalty area ends when Armstrong nudges Douglas Luiz into Cash and the referee gives the away side a free kick.
66 mins: Good work from Grealish to tease Bednarek with his right foot before shifting the ball onto his left and crossing, but Romeu clears. Two injuries and an against-the-run-of-play goal in, Southampton may be starting to feel that this is not destined to be their night.
64 mins: Adams comes on to replace Walcott.
63 mins: Now Walcott pulls up, feeling his left hamstring, which presumably means his night is also over.
61 mins: Villa win a free kick, deep on the right. Barkley sends it in and four forwards are clean through, but at least three of them are offside and Watkins sends his header wide anyway. “On the subject of similar names, it has occurred to me that Saints could feasibly field a defensive line consisting of YAN Valery, JAN-nik Vestergaard, JAN Bednarek and R-YAN Bertrand. All of whose first names are pronounced in a similar way,” notes Matt Howell. “Evidence, if any was needed, that I need to get out more.” Don’t we all, Matt.
Updated
59 mins: Diallo is leaving the field with some kind of physical discomfort, and Djenepo is going to replace him.
56 mins: The ball has barely left Villa’s half since the break, but Villa are defending well, and still leaving numbers up for potential breaks.
Updated
53 mins: ... but it’s a poor effort, which hits the ball at chest height.
52 mins: Now Southampton win a free kick, on the edge of the D, a great shooting chance. James Ward-Prowse places the ball.
Updated
51 mins: Redmond runs onto a pull-back from the left, but his first-time shot hits Mings.
48 mins: The home side push from the kick-back-off. Ings is found on the edge of the box, but his first touch is uncharacteristically poor, and they don’t muster a shot.
46 mins: Peeeeeep! Southampton get the ball re-rolling.
The players are back out, and both sides are unchanged.
@Simon_Burnton you're doing the readers a disservice by just mentioning the greatest rhyming pair and not including their song. Which, and i earnestly say this, is the greatest footballer sang song https://t.co/PA7hmhzkWD
— Asha (@Melatomin) January 30, 2021
Hmmmm, perhaps. Personally I’m not sure it’s the best footballer duet involving Chris Waddle.
“Struck by rhyming striker v centre half,” writes Andrew Murray of Ings and Mings. “Cannot immediately think of other examples. But surely names like Kane, Wright, Cole would work?”
Of course football’s greatest rhyming pair (possibly) were Hoddle and Waddle. Clearly Ings and Mings should follow them into a sideline in music, and release an album called Ings & Mings Sing Things. If that sells well they could do an album of Bing Crosby covers, Ings & Mings Sing Bing’s Things.
Half time: Southampton 0-1 Aston Villa
45+1 mins: Time for a breather. Southampton have had a lot of ball, but haven’t created much more than a penalty shout and need to up their games. Villa have not played fluidly, but one good cross and one good and crucially untracked run from midfield was all they needed.
44 mins: Southampton are yet to have a shot on target. Villa haven’t looked consistently dangerous, but I suppose you only have to look dangerous once.
42 mins: Now Barkley finds Watkins, whose first attempt hits Bednarek and rebounds back to him for another try, which is saved.
GOAL! Southampton 0-1 Aston Villa (Barkley, 41 mins)
The breakthrough! The ball is lifted over the defence to Grealish on the left, whose half-volleyed cross finds Barkley suspiciously unmarked on the penalty spot to head home!
Updated
38 mins: Save! Grealish finds space from a throw-in and passes infield to Watkins, whose first touch is excellent and opens up a shooting chance, and who then hits low across goal only for McCarthy to make a fine stop.
36 mins: Armstrong pulls back to Romeu, lurking on the edge of the area, but his first-time left-footer flies way, way high of goal.
35 mins: After a bright opening the game has grown up to become stodgy, chanceless and largely unlovable. Still time for it to change, of course.
32 mins: Southampton try to pass the ball out from the back, and with Villa pressing they get about 10 yards before Romeu is forced to hurry a pass and the away side have a throw-in.
31 mins: A lovely run through the middle by Romeu, but then instead of prodding forward to release Ings for what might have been a fabulous pass he chooses a more obvious pass to Armstrong on the left, and from his touch backwards Bertrand shoots wide of the near post from 20 yards.
Updated
27 mins: Villa are having a spell of possession, though it’ snot very good possession, amounting to a couple of long passes and some throw-ins.
23 mins: A long ball down the left finds Traore bursting through, but he’s just offside. Villa are going long too often, I fear, bypassing midfield when it is their strongest area.
Updated
20 mins: It does look like the ball flicked off Cash’s thigh on the way to his hand, which is why the defender was given the benefit of the doubt. “That wasn’t just a handball, Cash moved his arm so obviously that I’m genuinely impressed with the save,” rages Brad McMillan. “I can understand the ref not giving it in real time but, point blank range or otherwise, the defender’s hand was out and moved towards the ball ... I’m absolutely stunned.”
16 mins: It’s been an excellent start to the game, nothing cagey about it. Southampton have put together the most impressive moves, but Villa have threatened on the break. “VAR decisions are so unpredictable,” writes Niall Mullen of that handball call. “Even in old money that was a pen.”
Updated
14 mins: The clearance goes to Romeu, and what follows is 30 seconds of anything-could-happen madness, the ball zipping across the area, then pinging around the area, before finally it returns to Romeu and he shoots wide.
13 mins: Walcott plays a nice one-two with Romeu and gets down the right, but his cross deflects behind off a defender, and Mings heads the corner clear.
10 mins: It was, according to the VAR. A slightly charitable reading there. Ings’ skill in creating the chance, though, was delicious.
10 mins: The ball hit Cash’s left arm. It was blasted at him, but was his arm in a natural position?
8 mins: Ooof! Ward-Prowse passes infield to Ings, who lifts it over his head and over his marker before pulling back to Armstrong, whose shot is blocked by a defender ... but what bit of a defender? VAR, over to you!
6 mins: Turns out Emi Martinez is also in short sleeves. Anyway, we’ve now had a shot, Watkins taking the ball from Barkley, shifting it onto his left foot and dragging an effort wide of goal.
4 mins: There can’t have been many goalkeepers in short sleeves this weekend, but Alex McCarthy is so clad. Presumably he is expecting Villa to keep him warm.
2 mins: It appears Ward-Prowse is playing at right-back for the home side, rather than Diallo.
1 min: Peeeeep! Aston Villa get the game started.
Right then, we’re all set. Brace yourselves.
The players are gathering in the tunnel. It’s four minutes to football o’clock.
That’s an extraordinary hat/snood combination there, is it not?
Southampton make three changes, with Bertrand back from suspension and slotting in at left-back instead of Vokins, Romeu returning for Valery, who played at right-back last week - it looks like Ibrahima Diallo will be there tonight - and Redmond replacing Che Adams. Villa are unchanged, with their new signing, Morgan Sanson, on the bench.
The teams!
The team sheets have been handed in, and the names upon them were these:
Southampton: McCarthy, Diallo, Bednarek, Stephens, Bertrand, Redmond, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong, Walcott, Ings. Subs: Watts, Long, Adams, Djenepo, Valery, Ramsay, N’Lundulu, Forster, Jankewitz.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett, Douglas Luiz, McGinn, Traore, Barkley, Grealish, Watkins. Subs: Heaton, Taylor, Trezeguet, Nakamba, El Ghazi, Engels, Sanson, Elmohamady, Davis.
Referee: Lee Mason.
🔙 @ryanbertrand3
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) January 30, 2021
🔙 @OriolRomeu
🔙 @NathanRedmond22
Here's tonight's #SaintsFC team for the meeting with #AVFC: pic.twitter.com/L4kHqRHRIo
⚫ 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 ⚫
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 30, 2021
This is how we line up to face Southampton tonight… #SOUAVL pic.twitter.com/P80wgJG0uW
Hello world!
Aston Villa have lost four of their five games in 2021, only beating Newcastle which doesn’t really count, and suddenly their excellent season is in danger of turning average. “We’re comfortable with how we’re playing and how we’ve attacked a lot of the games,” says Dean Smith. “It’s been rare that I’ve walked away from a game and thought ‘we haven’t competed today’.”
Meanwhile this is Southampton’s sixth game of January 2021 and five of them will have been played at home, a statistically unlikely run - which has required a couple of home draws in the Cup - that will be followed by five away games in seven (though that could change if they win at Wolves in round five of the FA Cup). The Saints come up against the league’s second-best defence - only Manchester City have kept more clean sheets than Villa - having scored only two goals in their last six league matches, a pretty rubbish run that Ralph Hasenhuttl insists isn’t bothering him. “I’m never scared,” he said. “As long as we have chances to score, everything is okay for me. Sometimes you score more, sometimes not. If we wouldn’t have any chances then I would be worried.”
It’s an intriguing match this one, between two teams that have tended to entertain me when I’ve seen them this season. Welcome!
Updated
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