Saints V Everton The Verdict
Saints came through an appalling run of results and showed they have the spirit to surge forward in the second half of the season.
Shane Long has been much maligned by some short sighted Saints supporters who have questioned why we spent £12 million on a player who will score 10 goals a season at best, but at St Mary's on Saturday, Long showed that it isn't goals he has been signed for but his ability to Create chances for others. Long's all action performance typified the spirit on Saturday and showed why football is a squad game.
Ronald Koeman's injury list eased slightly with Steven Davis and Pelle both passing late fitness tests meaning that the only youngster who had to be brought in was Harrison Reed, the shock though was that Koeman altered formation in a line up designed to take the game to Everton.
Playing three central defenders and pushing on the full backs could have been a risk given Everton's own penchant to get the full backs forward, but it worked in all areas of the field.
Harrison Reed was excellent in his first start in the Premier League and was the very image of the phrase midfield terrier.
But the man who changed the game was Shane Long, a loose ball in the Everton penalty area looked an easy clearance for Jagielka, but suddenly Long appeared and nicked the ball from under his nose, Jagielka kicked Long instead of the ball and Saints should have had a penalty.
The ref though disagreed and having decided Jagielka had not played Long he had to give a corner, TV replays showed that the ball had come off Long and it was a penalty, but Long's ability to charge down defenders had paid off and from the resulting corner Saints went ahead, although Long was off the pitch the fact remains that if Long had not been persistent Everton would have cleared easily and we would not have had the chance.
The second goal saw a Long assist, a. superb cross from Clyne looked just the ball that Pelle would want, however it was Long who out jumped the Everton defence and nodded down for Pelle to knock it in for the second and killer goal.
The third goal saw Yoshida start and finish a move as he shouldered home Davis's cross to make sure there would be no fight back from the visitors, in between the goals though Fraser Forster made a couple of sharp blocks to deny Lukaku.
Ronald Koeman showed why he has taken the team to sun heights, changing the formation and not being afraid to give youth a chance, indeed this was perhaps the most pleasing aspect and Koeman himself perhaps realised that he needed to show his established stars that their places are not assured with Mane being left on the bench whilst Targett and Gape were given run outs.
Hopefully we are now through the worst of the crisis, the injury and suspension list will lessen and we can take heart that although we were beaten during that run we were never disgraced and we can go into Xmas in 5th place with all to play for in the new year.
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