Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Wolves fight back to deepen Southampton misery

Soccer Football - Premier League - Southampton v Wolverhampton Wanderers - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - February 14, 2021 Wolverhampton Wanderers' Ruben Neves scores their first from the penalty spot Pool via REUTERS/Richard Heathcote

Wolverhampton Wanderers mounted a second-half comeback to beat Southampton 2-1 on Sunday, avenging Thursday's 2-0 FA Cup loss to the Saints and inflicting their sixth league defeat in a row.

Danny Ings gave the home side the lead but a Ruben Neves penalty and a superb Pedro Neto goal gave Wolves all three points as they leapfrogged Southampton into 12th in the Premier League, dropping Ralph Hasenhuettl's side to 13th.

Southampton have won only once in their last 11 league matches and Hasenhuettl was at a loss to explain a result which condemned his club to a sixth consecutive league loss for the first time in their history.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Southampton v Wolverhampton Wanderers - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - February 14, 2021 Wolverhampton Wanderers' Ruben Neves scores their first from the penalty spot Pool via REUTERS/Richard Heathcote

"I think we shouldn't discuss about our run. We know what happened today, it's hard to explain this defeat," Hasenhuettl told Amazon Prime.

"Until their penalty they had no chances at goal."

Southampton took the lead when Stuart Armstrong burst down the flank and left two defenders for dead before delivering a cross to pick out Ings who emphatically volleyed home.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Southampton v Wolverhampton Wanderers - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - February 14, 2021 Wolverhampton Wanderers' Jonny in action Pool via REUTERS/Richard Heathcote

But Wolves were more fluid going forward in the second half and were handed a lifeline when Nelson Semedo's cross hit Ryan Bertrand's arm. Neves made no mistake in beating Alex McCarthy from the penalty spot.

Neto sealed the win with a solo goal in the 66th minute, side-stepping Jannik Vestergaard before striking the ball past McCarthy from an acute angle.

"It was a very tough game, both halves were very tough," Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo said.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Southampton v Wolverhampton Wanderers - St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - February 14, 2021 Wolverhampton Wanderers' Ruben Neves celebrates scoring their first goal Pool via REUTERS/Andy Rain

"In the first half Southampton managed the game. In the second half we were on the front foot, scored two goals and then defended very well."

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ed Osmond)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.