‘Defensive’ here is rather to be assumed with two meanings; a supporter could be a little touchy about Saints’ overwhelming knack of messing up opportunities against Hull during the game week just gone, whilst, from a writer’s point of view, one ought to refer to the excellent defensive abilities from both sides during the fixture.
After suffering from a serious, damaging bout of Tadić-Pellè dynamic duo withdrawal against Stoke last week (in Premier League circumstances), one should imagine Ronald Koeman was rather hoping to eke out a tad more from his club versus Hull City. Away from familiar and cosy St. Mary’s turf, the south coast side, otherwise known as second place warmers, were angling for something more than the 1-0 they earned at the KC Stadium.
Saints vs Hull: A Defensive Recap
Shaking up the recipe, Koeman left Jack Cork and Sadio Mané to rest on the bench initially; something he had planned slightly differently the week before, after selecting these men to start. I’m not convinced that this decision had much bearing on the game at all, for Saints peaked far too early, and struggled to grapple with any other possible goals following their third-minute glory.
Victor Wanyama’s crafty pelt into the net mere minutes into the match saw Saints seize three points rather hastily; the dreadful clearance from Hull’s Eldin Jakupović opened the home side up to the later defeat. The fact alone that Saints didn’t manage to claw any other fortunate goals hints perhaps that Jakupović was the one responsible for their win, more so than the goal deriving from own merit. But, perhaps that’s slightly cynical.
Within moments of snatched joy for Saints, Hull were eager to get them back; Robbie Brady was attacking with great gumption, which really saw the first spat of true, uncompromised possession for the native side. Despite this, the charging Italian, Graziano Pellè, was inspired, making several punishable attempts in Hull’s box. Nothing else materialised, especially as Hull’s defence was standing on guard, mostly equipped in a similar way to Saints themselves. Paul McShane was ready for the attack from the red and white stripes, and cleared all too easily.
Chances later originated from Toby Alderweireld, despite promising possession persisting from Hull. The Robbie Brady-Hatem Ben Arfa connection worked well to the home side’s advantage, much to a defensive comparison to the otherwise incapacitated Tadić-Pellè notion.
On all occasions, Hull’s attack seemed well matched to Saints’ defence, allowing the visitors plenty of time to dismantle any oncoming threats. By half-time, it was evident that Saints’ back line was far more powerful than Hull’s men upfront, but this by no means should suggest that Hull were poor opposition. Tom Huddlestone surged forth towards the end of the 45 minutes, but Ryan Bertrand was quickly in place to quell the danger. This sort of attack-defence pattern lingered well into the second half.
It was much the same business as usual between the 50-90-minute mark. However, Wanyama almost caused a calamity for Koeman’s men; the near-creation of a penalty after a careering error into Mohamed Diamé could have cost Saints their victory, but referee, Martin Atkinson, seemed firm in his decision that no such offence was conceded.
Attempt after attempt flooded up to Hull’s goal mouth in the latter half, with Morgan Schneiderlin searching for a sniff at success, whilst the Tadić-Pellè combination was seamlessly sewing chances, but to no avail. This is the second week consecutively that the star Serbian and incredible Italian have failed to produce anything typical of their usual behaviour together.
Further opportunities for Nathaniel Clyne and Mané emerged, but Saints seemed only destined for one goal. But it was a triumph nonetheless, so I shall remain endlessly pleased with their performances in this Premier League bid.
With second place comfortably earned under the confident, yet humble Ronald Koeman, Saints are looking all too promising at this stage. The margins are clean, and Manchester City still have a way to go until they’re nibbling at the heels of these southern giants (dare I even call them that?).
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