Southampton 3 West Ham 2: Watch highlights as Charlie Austin’s stoppage time penalty snatches win to deny ten-man Hammers a point
CHARLIE AUSTIN struck a controversial stoppage time penalty to earn Southampton victory over ten-man West Ham.
Austin converted from the spot after referee Lee Mason pulled up Pablo Zabaleta for a foul to break Hammers' hearts after a Javier Hernandez doubled looked to have salvaged a point.
Hernandez looked to have salvaged a draw with a goal in either half that looked to have been sparing the blushes of the London club.
For much of the game, the travelling fans endured a continuation of what someone calling himself CarltonCole9 on Twitter has described as “The banter era of West Ham United Football Club (2006-present)”.
The Hammers made four changes but things quickly went from the bad of the 4-0 defeat at Manchester United to worse. Much worse.
Defender Winston Reid was injured in the warm-up and then former Saints captain Jose Fonte, who would have been his centre back partner, was much too slow to stop Gabbiadini receiving Nathan Redmond’s return pass and shooting across Joe Hart into the net.
Marko Arnautovic, who had missed a good early chance, forced Fraser Forster into a reaction save but soon forced referee Lee Mason to send him off.
The Austrian charged at Jack Stephens and led with his arm, catching the young centre back on the neck long after the ball had gone. Arnautovic had earlier been caught on the head by Southampton debutant Mario Lemina but it was no excuse, none at all, for dropping his team right in it.
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic blanked Arnautovic as he left the field and soon had good reason to look away from the pitch as Fonte pulled back Steven Davis by the neck to concede a penalty.
Hart dived left, Dusan Tadic hit the ball down the centre and it hit the West Ham goalkeeper’s trailing right leg before ricocheting into the net.
But before you could write off the first half as a total disaster, Javier Hernandez grabbed his first goal for the Hammers in stoppage time.
Forster parried Antonio’s 20-yard effort and the Mexican pounced to stroke home the rebound.
Not long after the break, Hernandez’s attempted cross almost crept in before a scrambling Forster dived to tip the ball away. Then the Hammers screamed for a penalty for handball against Stephens, but to no avail.
Around the hour mark, the away fans started singing: “You’re going to f*** it up.” They just knew.
Gabbiadini hit the bar from 35 yards, Chicharito went close at the other end and Hart kept out a rasping Tadic effort.
Bilic made a double change with 18 minutes to go and it was substitute Diafra Sakho who met Aaron Cresswell’s cross. Forster made a great stop, pushing the ball on to the woodwork, but there was Hernandez again to fire in the rebound again.
But an incident-packed match still had more in store, as Saints then had a potential Shane Long winner rightly disallowed for a foul by Ryan Bertrand on Hart.
Then Nathan Redmond hit the bar with a long range effort in the last minute, before the late, late Austin penalty stole the points after Zabaleta shoved Maya Yoshida in the box.
FACTS, STATS, GOALS AND LOLS
- Saints had failed to score in their last six home Premier League games – only Manchester City have ever had a longer such drought in the competition (eight games between January-May 2007).
- Winston Reid signed a new six-year contract last week - but he failed to even make kick-off before he was carried off on a stretcher with a calf injury in the warm-up.
- The Hammers made four changes to the team who lost at Manchester United, but one of those dropped - Angelo Ogbonna - had to come straight back in to replace Reid
INTERACTIVE STATS - CLICK on the categories to find out how the teams fared
- Since the start of last season, St. Mary’s has seen fewer goals than any other Premier League stadium (excluding promoted sides), with just 38 goals being scored in 20 games at the ground (F17 A21).
- Marko Arnoutovic saw red for a needless off-the-ball arm in the face of Jack Stephens, and was given a verbal bashing by Slaven Bilic as he trudged down the tunnel.
- Dusan Tadic doubled Southampton's lead with a first half penalty to celebrate his 100th appearance for the club.
- To the added delight of Saints fans, the penalty was given away by former captain Jose Fonte who quit the club last season.
INTERACTIVE LINE-UPS – CLICK on a player’s number below to see their stats
latest West Ham news
- West Ham felt they should have been awarded a penalty early in the second half but ref Mason waved away appeals although replays suggested Jack Stephens had handled the ball.
- Southampton are the first team to play four successive Premier League games at home since Blackpool in April 2011.
- The last time West Ham lost both of their opening two games to a league season was in 2010-11, the season they suffered their second relegation from the Premier League.
Latest Southampton news
WHAT THEY SAID
Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino said: "It was a difficult game because we had everything under control after a sending off and two goals.
"It was a nice game to see, but difficult for a manager to be in.
"Your mentality is relaxed when the opposition gets a players sent off. We were suffering until the end.
"We have the three points, we have to keep learning. We created chances but we have to score the third goal a bit earlier."
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic said: "We are very disappointed we lost a point but we gained a lot of things.
"We showed character, quality and that we can cope with 10 men and we can score two goals and we can stop them scoring.
"There is no point talking about the penalty. I am proud of my team and they showed everything I asked. Commitment, quality, character, team spirit and we never gave up."
West Ham striker Javier Hernandez said: "When you are running most of the game with 10 men, the penalty decision is harsh.
"We spoke about Marko Arnautovic’s sending off, it is not completely a red card.
“It shows the character of this team that we do not give up. You have to look at the positives and to look forward. It is hard with 11 men but with 10 men it is even harder.
“I gained motivation and confidence and happy I scored two but the result is what stays in your head.”
SOCIAL SAYS
DREAM TEAM RATINGS
SOUTHAMPTON: Forster 6, Soares 6, Stephens 6, Yoshida 6, Bertrand 6, Romeu 7, Lemina 6 (Ward-Prowse 6), Tadic 7, Davis 7 (Long 6), Redmond 7, Gabbiadini 7 (Austin 6)
WEST HAM: Hart 5, Zabaleta 6, Fonte 6, Ogbonna 6, Cresswell 6, Rice 6 (Obiang 6), Noble 6, Antonio 7 (Sakho 6), Ayew 6 (Fernandes 6), Arnautovic 5, Hernandez 8
STAR MAN: Javier Hernandez