Southampton 2 Leicester City 3
St Mary’s Stadium, 19th October 2024
Post Match Analysis by Colin Murrant
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation.
On 60 minutes I was cursing my luck. The last away report I wrote was for the dreadful debacle at Plymouth last season, a match incidentally that was followed by the thrashing of the Saints at the KP. So, an hour gone, and very little positivity to report on, enter Fatawu and the game turned on its head.
By the end of the match, I was left wondering what to leave out of the report. It was Fatawu who tore the heart out of Southampton in that match at the end of last season with a stunning hat-trick. As soon as Fatawu arrived on the pitch, Russell Martin, the Southampton manager, remembered that mauling and brought Fraser on to double up on the City winger. Within the quarter hour, Leicester were level, and Fraser was back in the changing room having been red carded.
For the first 60 minutes, City were second best. Southampton, in all probability due to Martin’s fear of losing his job, had abandoned their playing it out slowly from the back, and were much more physical in their approach: so much so that they collected 4 first half yellow cards. City had an early scare when an attempt came back off the crossbar, but within 7 minutes they were behind. A break down City’s right flank ended with Manning laying the ball across goal for Archer to score at the far post. City had a bit more control after this and Justin should have done better with a chance from Buonanotte’s wide cross.
Before the half hour City were 2 down. Walker-Peters broke down City’s right again, cut to the by-line as he beat Justin far too easily, hit the ball across the six-yard box where Aribo slotted home from 2 yards. A third could have followed quickly after as Dibling, who was giving Kristiansen a torrid time, set up Sugawara who just failed to find Archer. Within a minute, Hermansen saved on the goal line from a close-range Downes’ volley. As the first half came towards its close, City came close as a curling shot from El Khannouss came back across goal after hitting the inside of the post.
What was to come should not hide the fact that it was difficult to know what the City plan was. Four of City’s best players last season are side lined. Vestergaard not in the squad again, Ricardo, Fatawu and Winks on the bench. Whereas last year both Mavididi and Fatawu played as wingers, they both gave cover to the full backs. Now City look unbalanced, no right sided winger, no cover, two first half goals conceded from that side. It is glaringly obvious!
As the Foxes faithful chanted for Cooper to sort it out, the expected arrival of Fatawu didn’t happen. All that did happen at half time was Skipp off, Winks on: the way the manager interchanges these two feels like shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic! Now confident, Saints started well and putting Leicester under pressure. So much so that Hermansen had to make wonderful reflex save from a close-range header from his own player, Faes getting his bearings completely wrong. City did start to get the ball away and Vardy should have scored when he had time and space in the box. Then, to the most incredible ovation from the City fans, Abdul Fatawu arrived. His presence lifts both the crowd and the team.
His first impact, skins the defender, gets to the by-line and puts it on a plate for Buonanotte’s, 2-1. Then the winger cuts inside and unleashes a fierce drive of the cross bar, followed by an attempt cleared of the line. A melee and the ball falls to Vardy who is two yards out, a hand clearly pulls him back and Saints manage to clear for a corner. A clear penalty as City fans scream for VAR intervention. The referee didn’t see the incident, but the linesman clearly did but does nothing about it. The VAR referee does though, and referee Taylor goes to the monitor. A few anxious moments pass and then it is a penalty and red card. Vardy delivers in the 74th minute.
City fans now in dreamland, 2 all from 2 down, Fatawu on fire and Fraser, the man sent on to quell his threat, back in the dressing room. Not even in the Premier League winning season could City turn a 2-0 deficit into a win at St Marys. It was all the Foxes now, but time was running out, in fact Southampton had a great chance as only a last-ditch tackle from Faes saved the day.
Seven minutes added on time raised city spirits again. Fine work by Cordova-Reid set up Buonanotte whose shot went agonisingly close to the far post with Ramsdale scrambling. 90+8, a final corner from Winks arrived at the feet of Jordan Ayew about 15 yards out. Rather than blast it, he placed it just inside the post. The noise, the elation, the celebration from players and fans alike was something rarely seen. A few minutes left to play but the points were won in one of the most memorable comebacks I have witnessed.
Again, wild celebrations at the final whistle with Ayew’s name being sung endlessly. The man who pushed Ayew towards the crowd to receive their adulation was the real architect of this win, that man was fellow Ghanaian, Fatawu.
Victory snatched from the jaws of defeat, a true silver lining,
Southampton: Ramsdale, Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis, Sugawara, Manning, Fernandes, Downes, Aribo, Dibling, Archer. Subs: Armstrong, Fraser, Lallana, McCarthy, Onuachu, Smallbone, Sulemana, Taylor, Ugochuku
Leicester: Hermansen, Kristiansen, Okoli, Faes, Justin, Skipp, Ndidi, Mavididi, El Khannouss, Buonanotte, Vardy. Subs: Ayew, Ricardo, Coady, Cordova-Reid, Fatawu, Soumare, Ward, Winks, Ward
Referee Antony Taylor VAR Referee Alex Chilowiscz
Attendance 31,145