Once again struggling to start during the first half, Southampton were easily handed their first loss of the season at the hands of a strong Everton side. Conceding twice during the first half, Southampton’s back line was handed a beating during the opening 45 minutes of the match as Everton ran riot to earn a 2-1 victory over the visiting Saints.
Everton Run Riot Over Southampton
Saints Fail to Show for First 45 Minutes
Starting the match like they were completely asleep at the wheel, Southampton were put on the back-foot early and often by Everton. Recording a couple chances in the first few minutes of the match, Everton finally went ahead 15 minutes in as Theo Walcott converted a nifty looking free-kick to give the Toffees a 1-0 advantage.
Just over half an hour into the match, Everton struck for the second time as Richarlison scored his third goal in two matches to give Everton an extremely comfortable 2-0 lead. While Southampton would show a bit of fight back throughout the remaining minutes of the first half, the chances created would all go begging as Southampton failed to really challenge Jordan Pickford.
Southampton would register one extremely good chance midway through the first half. Down 1-0 at the time, Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford fumbled a shot from Cedric Soares, allowing Danny Ings to have a point-blank chance in front of goal. However, Pickford would make up for his error by making an amazing save to deflect Ings’ shot off the crossbar, keeping Everton in the lead.
Southampton’s Second Half Show Too Little, Too Late
Coming out for the second half, Southampton definitely looked to be an improved side. Looking to get themselves back into the contest, Saints’ supporters would not have to wait long. Opening his Saints account, Danny Ings buried a close-range shot into the net to cut the Everton lead to just one.
54: ONE BACK! IT'S @IngsDanny! #saintsfc [2-1] pic.twitter.com/d6F8wYuYKZ
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) August 18, 2018
Reinvigorating the side, Southampton began to gradually throw more at the Everton back line. Registering a few more chances throughout the first half, James Ward-Prowse almost managed to tie the match late on in the match. Firing a curling free-kick towards the near post, Ward-Prowse’s effort would just be punched wide by Jordan Pickford, keeping the score at 2-1.
Though the second half performance from Saints was indeed a better one, Southampton’s push was seemingly too little, too late. Suffering the 2-1 defeat at Goodison Park, Southampton will be forced to lick their wounds from this match and quickly turn their attention to next Saturday when they host former manager Claude Puel and Leicester City.
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