Fulham Home Won 3 – 1
We live in peculiar times, where a Saturday 3 p.m. kick off becomes inconvenient – there’s live sport to be watched somewhere, even under lockdown restrictions if you look hard enough. I still managed to access Southampton v. Fulham, but the repeat performance on Sky, starting at 22:30 and with no build up or half time analysis – a double bonus there. On the pitch, Forster’s reward for his penalty save that was possibly worth a full three points last time out was to watch the game from the bench. I’m not really sure what’s going on with these keepers, but still think it has something to do with Salisu playing at full back… or maybe Ralph’s wants to make up his mind which one to keep – Salisu was replacing the injured Bednarek, and it’s as well no more defenders bowed out as we don’t have any more left. Let’s face it, our opponents have been relegated because they’re too weak in too many areas, so Saints adopted their pressing game, which looked like it would eventually produce dividends. Instead, though, it was a free kick that led to a 27th minute breakthrough when the ball was allowed to drop to the feet of Adams who fired into the top of the net from close range. Ings was withdrawn after 58 minutes, which is not Ralph’s usual time, and you wonder whether he’s pulled up lame again, but there was an immediate result as substitute Tella notched his first senior goal from Walker-Peters’ low cross and celebrated with obvious delight. At 2-0, the team may have thought they were home and dry, but we’re not good enough to take liberties, even against lowly opponents: the visitors duly pulled one back through their own even more youthful forward, Carvalho. It didn’t turn out to be an awkward last few minutes, firstly because Fulham aren’t that good, and also because Walcott, on for Minamino, sealed the points with a shot that turned out to be not quite as good as had first seemed, thanks to a deflection; definitely his goal, though, and an assist for Tella to boot.
LSSC Man of the Match: James Ward-Prowse, at his best when we are applying the press.
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