Full time: Southampton 3-1 Burnley
Peep peep! A very comfortable win for Southampton. Indeed the scoreline flatters Burnley, whose best player was the keeper Tom Heaton. It could have been a rout. The players change, the manager changes, but the Southampton good-news story just goes on. Thanks for your company; goodnight.
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90+1 min The impressive debutant McQueen puts over a superb cross from the left towards Rodriguez, whose volley is well saved by the admirable Heaton.
90 min There will be five added minutes.
89 min Another good save from Heaton, who pushes Ward-Prowse’s deliberate curler round the post.
88 min Tadic’s fast inswinging corner is headed fractionally wide by Fonte, who growls with frustration at the missed opportunity.
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87 min Southampton’s final change: James Ward-Prowse replaces Redmond, who has probably been the Man of the Match.
86 min This win will lift Southampton from 12th to eighth. Burnley will stay 14th unless they concede two more in the last few minutes.
84 min That was almost 4-1. Davis went on a long, lung-busting run before finding Martina on the right of the box. His cross was diverted back to Davis, who drilled a low shot just wide of the far post.
82 min “Can we have a shout out to Francis Benali?” asks Sarah Tipping “He’s just done a 1000-mile run and cycle around every ground in the premier and championship to raise cash for cancer research. Then celebrated by having a little jog around the stadium at half time. Text FRAN to 70200 to donate a fiver. Benalisbigrace.com.”
Yes, amazing stuff.
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81 min Patrick Bamford replaces George Boyd for Burnley.
79 min Hendrick shepherds the ball out, thinking it’s a corner for Burnley. Mike Dean gives a goalkick. The game is petering out despite that goal for Burnley.
77 min Mike Dean hasn’t given a penalty for five minutes.
76 min The impressive Romeu shuffles forward and thrashes a few yards over the bar from long range.
74 min “Rob,” says Matt Loten, “given the intermittent form of Townsend, Walcott (in an England shirt), Lingard and Oxlade-Chamberlain, who were all included in the most recent England squad, do you think it’s time to give Nathan Redmond a chance on the international stage? He’s pacy, has two quick feet, he can cross the ball, and he’s capable of getting goals. For my money he’s a better option than at least a couple of those alternatives named above. Far more intelligent player than Walcott and Lingard, has more strings to his bow than Townsend, and Oxlade-Chamberlain can’t even get on the pitch for Arsenal most of the time.”
Yeah I like him a lot, though it might be difficult to pick him on the wing when he’s playing up front for his club. There is a lot of class about the way he plays, certainly more than the four players you mentioned, with the possible exception of Oxlade-Chamberlain.
GOAL! Southampton 3-1 Burnley (Vokes 72 pen)
Vokes puts his penalty straight down the middle. Actually, having seen the replays, Tadic didn’t pull any shirts. He was penalised for a block on Mee. I can see why it was given but it also feels a bit soft.
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PENALTY TO BURNLEY
Don’t pull an opponent’s shirt when Mike Dean’s in town. Tadic has done so, and it’s a penalty to Burnley.
71 min Southampton make a change too, with Jay Rodriguez replacing Charlie Austin who turned a sow’s ear of a first half into a silk purse.
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70 min Burnley make a change, with Gudmundsson replaced by Michael Kightly.
68 min Marney is booked for clattering Van Dijk. That was a filthy tackle.
GOAL! Southampton 3-0 Burnley (Austin 66 pen)
Austin sends Heaton the wrong way, and Southampton have the three points.
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PENALTY TO SOUTHAMPTON
The young substitute McQueen makes a good run behind Gudmundsson, who clumsily brings him down.
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63 min Boyd slips in his own area, which allows Davis to get away a shot that is well blocked by Mee. This is turning into a miserable experience for Burnley. They are barely getting a kick and have another 27 minutes to survive.
GOAL! Southampton 2-0 Burnley (Redmond 61)
All that pretty passing, and Southampton have scored two goals from corners. A group of players near the penalty spot missed Clasie’s left-wing corner, and Redmond backpedalled quickly before rattling a fine low shot through Heaton from 15 yards.
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60 min The score has changed but the game hasn’t. Southampton continue to press, and after nice play from McQueen and Redmond, Tadic’s lofted shot is tipped over by Heaton.
56 min Away goals have been a problem for Burnley this season - they’ve scored the square root of bugger all - and it’s hard to see them getting back into this. They haven’t had a shot on target, although they should have had a first-half penalty.
53 min You have to admire Austin’s persistence, because he had a shocking first half and looked like a pub player with a vile hangover. But if you look in the book now, it says 1-0 (Austin).
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GOAL! Southampton 1-0 Burnley (Austin 52)
Charlie Austin is deadly from 0.2 yards. The chance came when a deep corner from the right was headed down by Van Dijk into the six-yard box. It ricocheted to Austin at the far post and, though his first shot was blocked, he managed to force the ball through Lowton on the line at the second attempt.
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50 min Heaton’s long free-kick bounces dangerously in the Southampton area, and Vokes is in the process of shooting on the turn when Austin comes on the blindside to make a vital interception and concede a corner.
49 min Tadic is booked for a bad tackle on Mee.
49 min The second half has started as the first ended, with Southampton applying plenty of pressure. Martina shanks a shot wide in the comedy style from the right side of the box.
46 min Peep peep! Southampton begin the second half, kicking from left to right.
Half-time reading
Half time: Southampton 0-0 Burnley
Peep peep! Southampton have had the possession and the chances, but Tom Heaton has made a number of saves ranging from comfortable to awesome. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
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45+4 min Boyd is injured in a block tackle with Fonte. The Southampton fans boo him. Then Heaton does well to hold a sweet long-range strike from Van Dijk.
45+1 min Another near miss for Southampton. The excellent Redmond twists Ward one way and then the other before battering a shot towards goal. Heaton can’t hold it and it slithers towards the far post, where the stretching Austin bundles the loose ball wide. I think that was a slightly trickier chance than it looked for Austin, but he has still had a pretty miserable half.
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43 min “I used to like Southampton,” says Phil Podolsky, “but with those new allegations that they were instrumental in wrecking the Middle East, have close ties to the worst actors in the 2008 financial crisis, hold a deep disdain for leftism and believe their duty is to manage the electorate’s expectations downwards, I think I want to review my position!”
I didn’t say it was a great Hodgkin’s.
41 min Defour makes an excellent interception and injures his hamstring in the process. That’s a big blow to Burnley and he won’t be able to continue. Aiden O’Neill replaces him.
38 min “Re Burnley’s defensive line, they’re not a tribute act to Everton’s in 1985 are they?” asks Gary Naylor. “With different laws and interpretations and without Kevin Ratcliffe, I’m not sure it’s going to work.”
Buying Andre Gray because he sounds like Andy Gray is a tribute too far.
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36 min Redmond, on the left of the box, makes space with some sleight of hip and leathers a shot towards the near post that is beaten away by the impressive Heaton.
33 min Mike Dean declines the opportunity to give a penalty when Gudmundsson goes over in the area. Southampton break and Tadic curls a brilliant long pass to put Austin clear, 25 yards from goal. His first touch is poor, his second mediocre and his third abysmal, a miserable shot dragged well wide of goal. That was unusually indecisive from Austin. Replays, meanwhile, suggest Burnley should probably have had a penalty. Gudmundsson tried to run through a group of Southampton defenders and was sent flying by Van Dijk. I don’t think he had the ball under control but I’m not sure that matters.
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31 min Fraser Forster welts a backpass downfield so effectively that it puts Tadic through on goal, and Heaton stays tall to make an excellent save.
29 min Defour is booked by Mike Dean for a bad tackle on Redmond.
28 min Martina is penalised for a foul throw. Mike Dean looks at him like he’s just soiled himself in a public place, with a delicious combination of pity and contempt.
27 min I don’t know what to say. Nothing whatsoever is happening. Southampton have been pretty bright in possession but they have struggled to get behind the Burnley defence.
25 min Meanwhile, here are two reasons to love Francis Benali.
Words fail me when it comes to describing the mental strength and selflessness of @FrannyBenali @BenalisBigRace ends today #cheerhimhome
— Matt Le Tissier (@mattletiss7) October 16, 2016
22 min “As a Portsmouth fan,” says Matt Loten, “that save could only have been better had it come from the gloves of the great David James himself (don’t laugh). On a serious note though, I have to say I’m more than a little envious of the fans of our south coast neighbours, who somehow continue to enjoy, season in, season out, attractive, possession-based, successful football. I don’t know how they managed to develop a monopoly on intelligent, underrated managers, but fair play to the board.”
Indeed. Southampton feel like the Hilary Clinton in a league of Donald Trumps.
21 min Southampton have lost their way for the time being, and with Burnley a limited attacking force, the match is not doing much to the viscera just now.
20 min Vokes chokes a 15-yard volley wide of the near post from Ward’s cross.
19 min “Now honestly - 4-D-2,” says Daniel Barnett. “Is this really a thing? When did this happen? I feel my grip on the beautiful game loosening season by season. This may or may not be a metaphor for general human decline, but still.”
It’s not a thing. Not yet. That said, 4-1-2-1-2 looks like a fitness instruction, so there’s no easy way of demonstrating a diamond midfield. Tactics can be so challenging, so cruel.
18 min As is sometimes the case, Southampton have struggled to pick up where they left off before the extended break in play caused by Targett’s injury. Burnley are having a good spell of possession, albeit harmless.
16 min “And you’d know all about strong wrists, wouldn’t you Rob?” says Peter Ewart. “Fnarr, Fnirp etc....takes himself off to the naughty step.”
14 min Targett can’t continue and is being helped from the field. Sam McQueen replaces him; this is his Premier League debut.
12 min There’s a break in play while Targett receives treatment, so let’s look at another great save from the past.
10 min “Don’t forget to give a shoutout to today’s referee, Mike Dean,” says JR in Illinois. “You can’t shame him unless you first name him. Dean is tied for sixth with The Clattenburg so far this season in average yellow cards doled out at 4.0 per game. Who is leading, you ask? That would be Kevin Friend at 5.75.”
And he’s got the nerve to call himself ‘Friend’.
8 min Burnley are under enormous pressure already. That save, though. You can never be sure, such is the human tendency to get carried away in the moment, but that looked comparable to Peter Schmeichel’s legendary save against Rapid Vienna in 1996. Niall Quinn, commentating on Sky, went further by comparing to Gordon Banks.
5 min Tom Heaton makes an unbelievable save from Austin! That’s probably the save of the season, already. Targett’s excellent cross from the left was headed down firmly by Austin on the six-yard line, and Heaten showed brilliant reactions to plunge to his left and then outstanding strength of wrist to get the ball round the post.
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4 min Southampton have settled into their usual passing groove. It’s slick, confident stuff.
3 min Austin plays a give-and-go with first Redmond and then Tadic before winning the first corner of the game. It’s headed clear.
2 min Nothing has happened so far. In other news, look at this thing of beauty.
1 min Peep peep! Burnley kick off from left to right.
An email! A bloody email!
“Afternoon Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “As a keen follower of Scottish football it’s nice to see that some of the talent at Southampton that has brought them success in recent seasons has moved south from Scottish football. Forster, Van Dijk, Davis, Wanyama (now of course at Tottenham). Although I’ll bet Joey Barton wishes he had stayed at Burnley, eh?”
Didn’t you get the memo: Scottish football lol. But seriously, yes, I agree – Van Dijk in particular is a seriously good player.
Team news
Southampton (4-D-2) Forster; Martina, Fonte, Van Dijk, Targett; Romeu; Clasie, Davis; Tadic; Austin, Redmond.
Substitutes: McCarthy, Yoshida, Long, Rodriguez, Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg, McQueen.
Burnley (4-2-3-1) Heaton; Lowton, Keane, Mee, Ward; Defour, Marney; Boyd, Hendrick, Gudmundsson; Vokes.
Substitutes: Flanagan, Kightly, O’Neill, Bamford, Robinson, Tarkowski, Arfield.
Preamble
The Southampton team news is in, and this is what Mauricio Pochettino has gone for: Forster; Clyne, Van Dijk, Lovren, Shaw; Schneiderlin, Wanyama; Bale, Tadic, Lallana; Mane.
You can make quite a team out of the players and managers who have been at Southampton in the last decade. Yet no matter how often they are raided, they just carry on as the admirable, quiet achievers of the Premier League. They have had a decent start to the season under Claude Puel and look good to set a club record by finishing in the top ten for the fourth consecutive season. This is a golden period in Southampton’s history.
Burnley’s aim is simple: to finish in the top 17. The last time they avoided relegation from the top flight was in the mid-1970s. They have had a reasonable start, though five of their seven games have been at home and they lost both away matches 3-0. That must probably needs to improve if they are going to stay up.
Kick off is at 4pm.
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