Southampton upset fellow in-form Norwich City at St Mary’s on Wednesday night, in what may be a pivotal win for the rest of the season.
The respective resurgences of Saints and Canaries under Tonda Eckert and Philippe Clement have been well documented, with the two clubs now in radically different places than they were at the time of the opposite encounter on December 13th.
Eckert’s side had gone 12 matches unbeaten in the Championship and FA Cup prior to the crucial clash between two sides hoping to make a late surge into the play-off places, and the South Coast side certainly went on to make it a ‘lucky’ 13th match without defeat on the trot – a run that stretches back to January 21st, when they defeated Sheffield United 1-0.
The 1-0 victory, thanks to £12 million summer signing Finn Azaz’s tenth league goal of an extremely productive individual season, moved Southampton into sixth place, ahead of Wrexham on goal difference, after the Red Dragons were defeated 3-1 at Vicarage Road 24 hours earlier.
Saints will now have Hull City, the team that defeated them last time out, in their sights, as they are only three points behind the fifth-placed Tigers with eight games remaining.
While there was plenty of room for everyone affiliated with the club to celebrate their 16th league win, Southampton’s X ‘admin’ couldn’t help but make a cheeky dig at a Canaries supporter who wasn’t in the greatest of moods at the final whistle.
Southampton FC fires cheeky jab at Norwich City supporter after close St Mary’s victory.
Eckert’s side earned a hard-fought victory over Norwich, coming off a 2-1 win over league leaders Coventry City the previous weekend.
With this meeting also rescheduled from Saturday, March 7th due to both sides’ participation in the FA Cup, it was an excellent opportunity for Saints to profit on Wrexham and Hull’s recent road disasters.
Although Azaz’s 24th-minute strike proved decisive, the final statistics highlighted how hard Southampton had to work for the three points, with Norwich leading the overall shot and shots on target count despite a reduced team due to a significant injury crisis.
As a result, one Canaries fan took the trouble to comment on Southampton’s full-time graphic on X, saying, “Well done, your £200M parachute payment mega team beat an injured squad 1-0!”
While Saints are one of a few teams in the division presently receiving ‘parachute payments’ after being relegated from the Premier League, they didn’t hold back in their answer, which read: “1-1. Parachute payments 90+9′.”
Unsurprisingly, such a tweet, which follows one of several football-related social media trends at the moment, has elicited conflicting reactions, with Norwich and rival club supporters branding it as ’embarrassing’, while Saints fans enjoyed the sly hit.
Southampton recorded what could be a crucial win in the overall context of their season on Wednesday night, as they defeated fellow in-form side Norwich City at St Mary’s.
The respective resurgences made by Saints and the Canaries under the management of Tonda Eckert and Philippe Clement have been well-documented, with the two clubs in completely contrasting positions to the ones which they found themselves in at the time of the reverse fixture on December 13th.
Eckert’s side had gone 12 matches unbeaten in the Championship and FA Cup ahead of the critical showdown between two sides hoping to make a late surge into the play-off places, and the South Coast side certainly went on to make it a ‘lucky’ 13th match without defeat on the spin – a run which stretches back to January 21st in their 1-0 victory over Sheffield United.
The 1-0 success, courtesy of £12m summer signing Finn Azaz’s 10th league strike of an extremely productive individual season, was enough to move Southampton into sixth place ahead of Wrexham on goal difference, with the Red Dragons succumbing to a 3-1 defeat against Watford at Vicarage Road 24 hours beforehand.
Saints will now have Hull City – the side who inflicted their last defeat – well and truly in their sights, as they are now just three points behind the fifth-placed Tigers with eight matches to play.
Yet, whilst there was certainly plenty of room for all associated with the club to enjoy their 16th win of the league campaign, that also didn’t stop Southampton’s X ‘admin’ from firing a cheeky dig at a Canaries supporter, who perhaps wasn’t in the best of moods at the full-time whistle.
Southampton FC fire cheeky dig back at Norwich City supporter after narrow St Mary’s success
It was certainly a hard-fought victory for Eckert’s side, who came into the matchup with Norwich off the back of a statement 2-1 win against league leaders, Coventry City, over the weekend.
With this particular fixture also rescheduled from Saturday, March 7th as a result of both teams’ involvement in the FA Cup, it was a prime chance for Saints to further capitalise on Wrexham and Hull’s recent mishaps on the road.
Although Azaz’s 24th-minute strike ultimately proved decisive, the final statistics only further showcased that Southampton were made to work for the three points, with Norwich dominating the overall shot and shots on target count despite a depleted squad as a result of a major injury crisis.
As such, one Canaries supporter took the time to comment under Southampton’s full-time graphic on X with the words of “Well done, your £200M parachute payment mega team beat an injured squad 1-0!”
Whilst Saints are one of a handful of sides in the division currently benefiting from ‘parachute payments’ after being relegated from the Premier League, they weren’t holding back in their response of: “1-1. Parachute payments 90+9′.”
Unsurprisingly, such a tweet, which follows one of several football-related social media trends at the moment, has elicited conflicting reactions, with Norwich and rival club supporters branding it as ’embarrassing’, while Saints fans enjoyed the sly hit.
Southampton is now in the situation that many expected them to be in.
Due to their recent stays in the top division, Saints were anticipated to mount a quick promotion campaign at the start of the season, but it has taken them 38 matches to finally be in a position where many expected them to be.
That, of course, is largely due to two periods of bad form: first, a run of two wins in 13 under Eckert’s predecessor, Will Still, and then another rough patch following the German’s permanent appointment in December.
However, with several players now putting their best foot forward, Southampton might be a force to be reckoned with if they are to secure a place in the play-offs, especially given their high-level talent in multiple areas.
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