Southampton 3-2 West Ham Utd

  • by Staff Writer
  • Saturday, 19th August 2017

West Ham are bottom of the Premier League just two games into the season after going down to an injury time penalty at St Mary's this afternoon.

Referee Lee Mason - who'd already dismissed Marko Arnautovic for a first half infringement - awarded the hosts a penalty deep into added-on time, with the score at 2-2, that Charlie Austin converted to win the game for a Saints team who had failed to score in the six previous home fixtures.

It was yet another one of those days for Slaven Bilic's side, who found themsleves a man down before a ball had even been kicked; Winston Reid pulled up short in the pre-match warm up and was replaced by Angelo Ogbonna.

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Unfortunately for West Ham, it was Reid's partner Jose Fonte who was to have a torrid opening half in which he was responsible for both of Southampton's first half goals - the first of which arrived with just 11 minutes on the clock, when former Hammers target Manolo Gabbiadini took advantage of some amateur defending by Fonte before firring low beyond Joe Hart.

Before the Saints could add a second however, new signing Arnautovic cost himself a couple of weeks' wages when he saw red for a spiteful elbow that caught Jack Stephens in the neck; the Austrian's revenge for an earlier assault by goalscorer Tadic costing him and West Ham dearly.

Five minutes after the Austrian international was dismissed, Southampton doubled their advantage from the penalty spot, when Fonte was penalised for pulling Steven Davis' shirt and denying a goalscoring opportunity allowing Tadic to convert from 12 yards.

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The half time whistle was the signal for a quite remarkable West Ham comeback, which began with Hernandez's first goal for the club in the opening minute of the second period when converting from close range (as per his last 35 goals, all of which have been scored from inside the penalty area).

Moments later the Hammers were just inches away from falling further behind when former transfer target Manolo Gabbiadini sent a long-range effort crashing back off the crossbar, with Hart well beaten. However it was to be Bilic's side who were to score next, against the odds.

Latching onto a Diafra Sakho effort that had initially been well saved by Saints 'keeper Forster, Hernandez added his second of the game with a real poacher's effort to bring West Ham back on level terms.

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And until the 92nd minute of the game, it looked as if that would be enough to earn a share of the spoils - that was until referee Mason saw enough in a Zabaleta shoulder barge to award a high-contentious penalty to the home side, which was converted by Charlie Austin.

A second defeat in two games for the Hammers leaves them bottom of the Premier League, still no closer to the 'next level' that the Board spoke of reaching so frequently when preparing to move the club away from its spirtual home in Upton Park.

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West Ham Utd: Hart, Zabaleta, Fonte, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Rice (Obiang 76), Noble, Antonio (Sakho 67), Ayew (Fernandes 67), Arnautovic, Hernandez.

Subs not used: Adrian, Byram, Masuaku.

Goals: Hernandez 45’, 73’

Sent off: Arnautovic (33).

Southampton: Forster, Cedric, Yoshida, Stephens, Bertrand, Davis (Long 80), Romeu, Lemina (Ward-Prowse 64), Redmond, Tadic; Gabbiadini (Austin 80).

Subs not used: McCarthy, Bednarek, McQueen, Boufal.

Goals: Gabbiadini (11), Tadic (pen 38), Austin (pen 90+2).

Referee: Lee Mason.

Attenadance: 31,424.

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