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Ivan Juric’s first Premier League match in charge of Southampton ended in disappointment as Jarrod Bowen secured a 1-0 win for West Ham at St Mary’s.
Southampton had the better of the chances in the first half despite a bright West Ham start, with Paul Onuachu guilty of missing a host of opportunities and West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski making a number of crucial saves before he was forced off with a serious-looking head injury after a collision with Nathan Wood.
Juric’s team thought they would have a numerical advantage when Guido Rodriguez was shown a red card for a challenge on Kyle Walker-Peters early in the first half, but referee Lewis Smith downgraded it to a booking following a VAR review.
The deadlock was broken just before the hour – Bowen poking home from close range after latching onto Niclas Fullkrug’s flick-on.
Onuachu and Tyler Dibling passed up presentable chances late on as West Ham made it four league games unbeaten and moved above Manchester United into 13th, while Southampton remain bottom.
How the match unfolded
Carlos Soler cannoned a shot off the crossbar and Onuachu headed wide at the other end in a frantic start.
Fabianski thwarted Mateus Fernandes and Onuachu, but he had to be taken off on a stretcher after a collision with Wood from a corner, and his replacement Alphonse Areola saved well from another gilt-edged Onuachu chance on the stroke of half-time.
Rodriguez seemed to have received his marching orders when he went in on Walker-Peters, but West Ham received a lifeline after the VAR recommended an on-field review.
West Ham made their luck count in the 59th minute, with Bowen poking in from Fullkrug’s header.
Fernandes dragged wide, Dibling sliced over and Onuachu headed off-target as Southampton searched for an equaliser that did not arrive.
Positive signs for Juric, but no points
The new Southampton boss will have been pleased with many elements of his side’s first half display, but ultimately they lacked the finishing touch.
Both Yukinari Sugawara and Walker-Peters offered width and attacking intent, with Southampton finding plenty of joy down the flanks. Had Onuachu, handed a start by Juric, had his shooting boots on, matters could have been much different, while Fernandes should have done a lot better with the opportunities that came his way.
Juric will know that missed chances on a regular basis will prove costly at this level, and that came to pass, with Bowen’s goal coming at a time when the home side had been the better team.
As it stands, the situation looks bleak for Southampton, who are six points behind 19th -place Ipswich Town.
Juric will look to take the positives, but if he is to drag Southampton to safety, they need to take points, and quickly. They next face Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Hammers getting it together
Julen Lopetegui has been under pressure at various points already this season, but that is now four matches unbeaten for the Hammers, who are only five points behind seventh-place Manchester City.
Though they could have taken the lead early on through Soler, West Ham were second best for large parts of the first 45, with Bowen posing the greatest threat.
It was no surprise, then, that their star forward came up with the goods when presented with their clearest opportunity. Bowen stole a march on his marker to meet Fullkrug’s flick-on from Tomas Soucek’s header into the area, and duly turned in a neat finish.
Their victory came at a cost though, with centre-back Max Kilman forced off early on and Fabianski suffering a nasty head injury that saw him receive treatment for nearly 10 minutes before being stretchered off.
West Ham and Lopetegui will hope they can build on this victory in their next outing on Sunday, when they welcome league leaders Liverpool to the London Stadium.
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