Southampton 0-1 Ipswich Town - Match Report Tuesday, 19th Sep 2023 21:55 Omari Hutchinson’s first goal for the Blues on his full league debut saw Town to a 1-0 victory over Southampton at St Mary’s and back up to second in the Championship. On-loan Chelsea man Hutchinson struck on the half hour as the Blues maintained their brilliant start to the season. Boss Kieran McKenna made four changes from the team which beat Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 at the weekend with Brandon Williams, Jack Taylor and Hutchinson making their full league debuts for the Blues - the latter his full league debut full stop - and George Hirst coming back into the XI. Wes Burns was OK to continue in his wide right role despite feeling his hamstring at Hillsborough, while Nathan Broadhead, Massimo Luongo and Freddie Ladapo dropped to the bench. As expected, Leif Davis missed out with the ankle problem he suffered on Saturday, while Kayden Jackson was also absent from the 20-man squad. For the Saints, former Blues midfielder Flynn Downes wasn’t included having picked up a knock in Friday’s 4-1 home defeat to Leicester and was replaced by Joe Aribo. Former Town loanee Ryan Fraser started, while Alex McCarthy and James Bree were among the home side’s subs. With rain swirling in the wind, the Saints started on top with the Blues giving the ball away all too easily whenever they got hold of it. On five, Southampton skipper Adam Armstrong shot from the edge of the box into the side-netting with some home fans initially believing it had gone the other side of the post. Two minutes later, Town had the ball in the net from a corner but referee Josh Smith ruled it out for a foul. Hutchinson’s flag-kick appeared to divert into the roof of the net off Saints striker Che Adams but Smith blew for a foul, perhaps on keeper Gavin Bazunu, although there seemed nothing untoward. The Blues began to see more of the ball and won another corner, then on 12 Hutchinson crossed from the left for Hirst but the striker was unable to get enough power on his header under pressure. Three minutes later, Hutchinson was found unmarked midway inside the Southampton half by a long throw and took the ball on before hitting a shot which deflected up in the air through to Bazunu. In the 17th minute, Kyle Walker-Peters fed in Adams on the right of the box but Luke Woolfenden was able to divert his effort wide. Four minutes later, Town struggled to get the ball out of their box following a looping Adams ball from the right. The Saints were looking a threat when in and around the Town area and on 27 Shea Charles flicked a header just wide of Vaclav Hladky’s right post. The Blues were largely in control, however, and were taking the game to the relegated former Premier League side. On 29, Burns crossed from the right and Williams looped a header over from the penalty spot with the on-loan Manchester United man clearly felt he should have done better. And a minute later the Blues went in front. Hutchinson slid in to dispossess the dawdling Charles midway inside the Saints half, Chaplin picked up the loose ball and fed in the Chelsea loan forward, who shot across Bazunu and into the net off the inside of the post. Hutchinson celebrated his first goal for the Blues - and first in senior football aside from goals for U23s sides in the Papa Johns Trophy - with a impressive somersault. Town went about looking for a second goal and on 33 Hutchinson, full of confidence after his goal, brought the ball forward down the middle before Williams’s dangerous cross was headed behind by Taylor Harwood-Bellis. The Blues went within a whisker of going 2-0 up in the 36th minute when Aribo was caught in possession midway inside his side’s half by Chaplin and the Blues’ forward chipped Bazunu only for the ball to bounce back off the bar. Hirst was first to the rebound but Harwood-Bellis was somehow able to squeeze his goalbound effort wide. Two minutes later, Williams was shown the game’s first yellow card for a late challenge on Adams. Town continued to control the game with the Saints looking ever more nervous at the back, keeper Bazunu finding touch with a pass to Walker-Peters, much to the frustration of the home support and amusement of the travelling fans. The Blues again went close to a second goal in the 40th minute when Hutchinson broke from the centre circle and fed Burns on the right. The Wales international cut inside before hitting a right-foot shot just past Bazunu’s right post. Despite Town being on top, Southampton were still having dangerous moments, former Blues loan winger Fraser forcing Harry Clarke into a sliding block. Following the resultant corner, Sam Edozie’s dive fooled no one, least of all referee Smith. The Saints saw most of the ball in two minutes of added-on time but without further threatening and boos rang around St Mary’s at the whistle. Town could be more than happy with their first 45 minutes and the lead. The Saints had started the stronger but the Blues had grown into the game and made the most of Southampton sloppiness in their own half, which was hardly a rare occurrence. In fact, Town will feel they probably should have been at least another goal in front Chaplin having hit the woodwork following another Southampton error, while the early own goal didn’t appear to have too much wrong with it. The home side had had threatening moments but without managing a shot on target. The second half began much as the first had ended with Southampton continuing to have scruffy moments. On 47 Hutchinson skipped away on the right but his cross was too deep. Two minutes later, Hladky was forced into action for the first time. Walker-Peters picked up a loose Town pass on the right, brought the ball forward and played in Adams on the right of the box from where the Scotland striker hit a shot but the Town keeper reacted superbly to bat it behind. The Czech required treatment before the corner - which Town defended confidently - but was able to carry on. Taylor was yellow-carded for a foul on Edozie on 52, although the former Peterborough man seemed a little unfortunate as the incident appeared to be an inadvertent tangle of legs even if the Saints forward was tripped. Adams scuffed a shot wide from distance in the 55th minute, moments before the Saints made a triple change, Edozie, Fraser and Aribo making way for Stuart Armstrong, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Jan Bednarek, prior to the Blues swapping Taylor for Luongo. The Blues again went close to a second goal in the 57th minute when a counter-attack saw a Burns cross from the right headed out to Chaplin, whose volley was destined for the corner of the net until Bazunu brilliantly got across to palm it wide. As the game reached the hour mark, Harwood-Bellis was booked for a foul on Chaplin, before Luongo shot over from distance. On 65, a rare moment of miscommunication from Town at the back allowed the Saints the ball in the final third and Will Smallbone struck a shot which Luongo slid in to block. From the resultant corner, the ball ran loose in the area but Town were eventually able to force the second of Adam Armstrong’s two efforts behind and there were no similar concerns from the subsequent flag-kick. Chaplin shot to Bazunu from the edge of the box in the 68th minute, then three minutes later Town swapped Williams and Hirst for Dominic Ball and Dane Scarlett, who was making his Blues debut. The home side were seeing more of the ball but with the Blues defending their penalty box ferociously when the need came, while looking a threat on the break. On 75, Smallbone crossed low from the right and Hladky claimed ahead of Adams but took a kick from the Southampton striker and required treatment before continuing. Carlos Alcaraz replaced Smallbone for the Saints and almost immediately after the game restarted Adams was booked for a foul on Clarke. Ryan Manning, who almost joined Town as an academy schoolboy, unleashed a powerful strike from distance in the 78th minute which looked to be moving in the air as Hladky batted it away to his right. Town made their final two changes a minute later with Broadhead and Marcus Harness taking over from Hutchinson and Chaplin. In the 83rd minute, Harness did well to find Broadhead, who in turn sought to play in Burns, who was clearly blocked off, and Scarlett, who was dispossessed. The Blues were back in control of the game and taking the game to the home side once again with Burns being found in space on the right on a number of occasions. There was a scare for Town in the 87th minute when Sulemana got behind Ball on the right and appeared to be tripped by the Blues’ sub when through on goal. However, a linesman’s flag allayed any concerns the travelling fans at the other end might have had. In the final scheduled minute, Harness was found in space on the left. The former Portsmouth man rode a Bednarek tackle but was taken wide and was unable to find Scarlett, who spent last season with Pompey, the Saints’ big rivals, with his subsequent pass. The fourth official’s board indicated seven additional minutes in which Alcarez looped a header well over and Town were otherwise unthreatened as they comfortably saw out their sixth win in seven matches since their return to the Championship, including all four away matches. Another brilliant away display from the Blues against a side who were two divisions above them last season. In truth, Town should have scored more goals with Chaplin twice going close, the disallowed first-half goal and a number of other opportunities. The Blues kept Saints chances to a minimum throughout with Hladky making two impressive second-half stops when they were required and the backline defending balls into the box superbly, as they did at Hillsborough on Saturday. The win, Town’s second ever victory at St Mary’s, which extends their club record unbeaten league away record to 13, sees the Blues back up to second in the table, a point behind leaders Preston as the extraordinary start to the season continues. Blackburn Rovers, who are 10th, visit Portman Road on Saturday and few would bet against Town maintaining their form against the Lancastrians. Southampton: Bazunu, Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Charles, Manning, Smallbone (Alcaraz 76), Aribo (Bednarek 56), Fraser (Sulemana 56), Edozie (S Armstrong 56), Adams, A Armstrong (c) (Mara 85). Unused: McCarthy, Bree, Amo-Ameyaw. Town: Hladky, Clarke, Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns, Morsy (c), Taylor (Luongo 57), Williams (Ball 68), Chaplin (Harness 81), Hutchinson (Broadhead 81), Hirst (Scarlett 68). Unused: Slicker, Humphreys, Evans, Ladapo. Referee: Josh Smith (Peterborough). Att: 27,265.
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