Cottagers Crushed By Relentless Saints – Soton vs Fulham

Goals from Rickie Lambert and Jay Rodriguez ensured Southampton’s impressive run continued at the expense of a lifeless Fulham.

Without disrespecting the weekend’s opponents, many Saints fans were expecting a Southampton style drubbing against one of the worst travelling teams in the division. While a deluge of goals was never really on the cards, a dominant, pressing display complete with another clean sheet was the most likely outcome considering the home side’s recent form.

Despite their parsimonious approach in front of goal however, Southampton were nearly ahead after only five minutes, a cross from the left was fumbled by ’keeper Maarten Steklenburg and the ball fell to Morgan Schneiderlin, only for his effort to be cleared off the line by Amorebieta.

In the next 14 minutes, the visitors had a further two close calls and seemed incapable of responding to the relentless pressing play of Southampton. Then came the inevitable. James Ward-Prowse’s corner was flicked on at the near post by Rodriguez, allowing Lambert to bang home with a powerful header. Two minutes later and it could, and should, have been 2-0 to the Saints. Rodriguez danced through the Fulham defence and fired in a low placed shot, only for Steklenburg to dive down to his left and make a stunning save.

By this point, Fulham were being thoroughly dominated, not managing a single shot on goal and barely making it out of their half. Were it not for the woodwork and impressive keeping from Steklenburg, Martin Jol’s men could have found themselves down by five or six goals. What he didn’t need therefore, was for the Fulham defence to shut down completely in the 43^rd minute. Adam Lallana’s perfect ball into the box was headed across the six yard box and nodded home into the empty net by the unmarked Rodriguez.

After the break it was clear that Southampton weren’t too fussed about getting a third, and were happy to pass the ball around and torment Fulham with their superior possession figures. This however, did not stop the home side’s front two from trying to increase the goal tally. Lambert had a powerful header saved by the fingertips of Steklenburg and Rodriguez nearly scored from an outrageous scissor kick which only just went wide from twelve yards out. Despite the introduction of Hugo Rodallega and Alex Kacaniklic late on, it was too little too late for Fulham, whose chequered form in the league continues with this defeat.

Writer’s Comment: I didn’t think for one second that Fulham would get anything out of this game but Southampton’s level of efficiency and poise was still deeply impressive. This is their sixth clean sheet in nine games now and Pochettino’s men are staking a real claim for most miserly defence in the league. Had Southampton been chasing down an aggregate deficit and Steklenburg not been in such inspired form, you really feel that this could have been very embarrassing for Fulham, who, like last season, seem incapable of gathering any real momentum.

Man Of The Match: Jay Rodriguez – Left the Fulham defence in tatters on many an occasion, nearly scored an unbelievable overhead kick and ran his socks off, the ex-Burnley hit man just keeps getting better and better.