Football news - Southampton beat Sheffield United to end winless streak
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ByEurosport
Updated 06/03/2021 at 17:40 GMT
Bramall Lane, Premier League - Sheffield United 0 Southampton 2 (Ward-Prowse 32' pen. Adams 49')
James Ward-Prowse
Image credit: Getty Images
Southampton finally stopped the rot with a 2-0 win at Bramall Lane courtesy of a first half James Ward-Prowse penalty and a thunderous Che Adams half-volley just after the break.
It was Ralph Hasenhuttl’s 100th game in charge of the Saints and his side marked the occasion with a much needed win, which finally saw them end a winless run that stretched back to 16th January.
Both sides started the game poorly with sloppy passes stopping the game from gaining momentum.
But one player that showed promise from the first whistle was Nathan Tella who caused all sorts of problems for the Sheffield United defence, winning a collection of free kicks deep inside their half.
And it was the pacey forward that won the penalty for the visitors as he was brought down by Ethan Ampadu. Up stepped Ward-Prowse who powered the ball past Aaron Ramsdale.
The Blades looked to recover quickly in the second half, but were dealt a hammer blow when former player Che Adams connected perfectly with a half volley shot from the edge of the box.
Despite a valiant effort with Chris Wilder making a series of attacking changes, his side couldn’t unlock the Southampton defence and slumped to another defeat.
Next up for Sheffield United is a trip to the King Power stadium to face Leicester City, while Southampton host Brighton in a south coast clash.
TALKING POINT - SAINTS FINALLY WIN
Southampton were becoming known as a team that only showed up in the first half whilst falling to pieces in the second. A habit which saw them record the longest winless run in the Premier League, but in the end a balanced performance at Bramall Lane contributed to a much deserved victory.
PLAYER RATINGS
Sheffield United: Ramsdale 8, Ampadu 5, Bryan 6, Stevens 6, Lundstram 5, Fleck 5, Baldock 6, Norwood 6, Bogle 6, McGoldrick 6, Brewster 6, McBurnie 5, Sharp 5, Mousset N/A
Southampton: Forster 7, Walker-Peters 6, Bednarek 6, Vestergaard 6, Bertrand 6, Ward-Prowse 7, Diallo 6, Armstrong 7, Tella 8, Ings 6, Minamino 6, Adams 9, Redmond 5, Djenepo N/A
MAN OF THE MATCH - CHE ADAMS (SOUTHAMPTON)
Adams can never be faulted for his hard work and effort when he's in the Southampton side, but one thing he has been missing is goals. But today's rocket from the edge of the Blades box will fill the striker with confidence having come off the bench early on for an injured Danny Ings. But Sheffield United fans shouldn't have been surprised to see his name on the score sheet as he's scored four goals in his four Premier League appearances against his former employers, accounting for 44% of his total goals in the competition.
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KEY EVENTS
30' - PENALTY! Ampadu brings down Tella as the speedy forward bursts into the box.
32' GOAL FOR SOUTHAMPTON! Ward-Prowse blasts the ball past Ramsdale from the penalty spot. Southampton deserve the lead.
45'+2 - CHANCE SHEFFIELD UNITED! McGoldrick tries to clip the ball over Foster, but the big Saints keeper makes it look easy and plucks the ball out the air.
49' GOAL FOR SOUTHAMPTON! Adams smashes the ball into the back of the net from on the edge of box with a magnificent half volley.
66' SAVE! Ramsdale gets down low at full stretch to stop Tella's ranged effort creeping in.
70' CHANCE FOR SOUTHAMPTON! Minamino should have scored as Bertrand squared the ball perfectly inside the box. But the shot just goes the wrong side of the post.
KEY STAT
- Sheffield United have now lost all nine of their Premier League matches on a Saturday this season – the highest number of games a team has played on a specific day within a single Premier League season with a 100% loss rate
- James Ward-Prowse has scored seven goals in all competitions this season, his joint best return in a single campaign for Southampton. Six of these seven goals have come from dead ball situations (5 direct free-kicks, 1 penalty)
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