Southampton has fought from a 2-0 to win over Burnley and managed to claim three crucial points in the Premier League’s survival battle.
Both teams entered the match with 33 points initially. And Burnley took the lead in the first half of the game at St Mary’s Stadium.
Chris Wood released the first penalty. They were getting awarded with a point after the assistant referee advised Andre Marriner to check the pitchside monitor. Before hitting Ben Mee‘s long ball for Matej Vydra to open the second beautiful goal.
However, Southampton had welcomed back Danny Ings and Theo Walcott back after recovering from injury. Hit straight at midfielder Stuart Armstrong who was sweeping the ball after Ings’s proper cleanup.
The former Burnley striker cooled his 10th goal of the season to equalize just before half-time. He was scoring a goal for his former team in the third game in a row.
And even though Burnley’s Nick Pope made good money after the break. The Saints skipped against the England goalkeeper as Nathan Redmond voted for them earlier.
The hosts then need heroes to score goals for former England goalkeeper Fraser Forster, who denied Wood twice later. Before just winning for the second time in 13 Premier League games.
That elevated Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men to 13th place on the table. With 10 points clear of a place to return with eight games to go.
Ings also shows his importance to Southampton.
Southampton was top of the league in November. But this year’s shocking formative form forced Hasenhuttl to admit ahead of Sunday’s game. In the game, both teams needed a win to give them more than three lower divisions.
He watched West Brom boost their hopes of survival with a stunning victory over Chelsea on Saturday. At the same time, his side scored seven points in 2021 before facing Burnley. But the Saints show the spirit needed to avoid getting dragged into reverse books.
The club’s management had threatened him before going down 2-0, with Redmond forcing the Pope to open fire. But Vydra’s beautiful volleyball seemed to frighten them.
Despite returning from international duty due to a young calf problem, James Ward-Prowse has managed to keep his one-minute playing record in the Premier League this season. And the England midfielder fed Ings to set Armstrong’s goal at the edge of the box.
And after more pressure from Southampton. Kyle Walker-Peters’ ball on the ground was allowed to run to Ings, and the England striker made Mee pay. Both of them ran the Burnley center. Before cutting inside James Tarkowski and placing the ball between the Pope’s legs.
Ward-Prowse thought he had put the Saints ahead in the second half. When his 20-yard strike struck the cross, but a series of shots went off. Armstrong’s deflected strike forced a positive response from the Pope.
The Pope then rejected Ings but Walcott. The Everton striker on loan stuck to the rebound. And he lifted the ball back to Redmond to open his third goal in two games. Scoring two FA Cup goals win over Bournemouth.
Hasenhuttl is confident the club could agree to an extension with Ings. He now enters the final year of his contract this summer.
The 28-year-old has been a key figure in his three seasons with Santa. But he needs the help of his supporting characters, as he found today if they are going to challenge the silverware and finish the top half.
They have a chance to do both in the coming weeks as they face Leicester in the FA Cup semi-finals. And return to six points in the top ten.
