Southampton 0-1 Nottingham Forest: Visitors move out of the drop zone
Southampton 0-1 Nottingham Forest: Taiwo Awoniyi’s winner ends nine-hour wait for an away goal to lift visitors out of the drop zone, as Saints remain rooted to the bottom after SIXTH straight defeat
- Nottingham Forest recorded their first away Premier League win of the season
- Taiwo Awoniyi ended 576-minute wait for an away goal by firing visitors ahead
- Brennan Johnson pulled the ball back for Awoniyi to score in the 27th minute
If you listened carefully over the cacophony of boos and jeers at St Mary’s, one could hear a delirious and rapturous away end toasting to their first Premier League away win since May 1999.
They’ve had little to cheer about on the road since that glorious day in May at Wembley but the south-coast sea breeze carried and amplified their jubilation as Taiwo Awoniyi’s first-half strike secured a first away win of the season and lifted Steve Cooper’s side out of the relegation zone.
It came at the expense of Southampton, rock bottom and yet to pick up a point under Nathan Jones. ‘Sacked in the morning,’ sang the away end at Jones. He will be given time but tonight’s disjointed performance made Saints’ Premier League status look in terminal danger after an 11-year stint in the top flight.
Nottingham Forest forward Taiwo Awoniyi ended 576-minute wait for an away goal
SOUTHAMPTON (3-4-3): Bazunu 5; Lyanco 4 (S Armstrong 86), Bella-Kotchap 5 (Caleta-Car, 34, 6), Salisu 5; Walker-Peters 6.5, Lavia 6 (Aribo 64, 6), Ward-Prowse 6, Perraud 6 (Edozie 64, 6); Elyounoussi 5, Adams 4, Mara 4 (A Armstrong 64, 6).
Subs not used: Caballero, Diallo, Djenepo, Matiland-Niles.
Booked: Perraud, S Armstrong.
Manager: Nathan Jones 5.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST (4-3-3): Henderson 6.5; Aurier 6, Worrall 7, Boly 6.5, Lodi 6.5 (Toffolo 84); Yates 7, Freuler 6.5, Mangala 6 (Colback 60, 6); Johnson 7.5 (Williams 84), Gibbs-White 6.5 (Scarpa 70, 6), Awoniyi 7 (Surridge 71, 6).
Subs not used: Hennessey, Cook, Dennis, McKenna.
Booked: Freuler, Johnson.
Manager: Steve Cooper 7.
Referee: Thomas Bramall 6.
Southampton look leaky at the back and it is hard to see where the goals will come from – two of the starting front three are yet to score in the league this season. As for Forest, this continues a stellar start to 2023 after a point against Chelsea on New Year’s Day.
Their star man was Brennan Johnson, who was not born when Forest last won away in the top flight at Blackburn in 1999 – goals from Dougie Freedman and Chris Bart-Williams. The 21-year-old caused Saints a headache all match, assisted Awoniyi’s goal and was unlucky not to score himself.
This match saw the first battle of two Welsh managers in the Premier League – Nathan Jones and Cooper – since Tony Pulis’ West Brom played Stoke of Mark Hughes in 2017. With Forest promoted and Jones’ Luton qualifying for the play-offs against all odds, this pair were by far the Championship’s best two coaches last term.
Brennan Johnson pulled the ball back for Awoniyi to score in the 27th minute
But the young bosses came into this match facing a completely new challenge in a desperate fight for survival. And both arrived with their teams struggling to score – Forest had just one away goal all season and Saints had not scored more than two in a match since August, winning just one game in 12 since beating Chelsea that day.
Their lack of potency was telling early on, with each side missing clear-cut chances in the first 15 minutes. First, Che Adams was sent through clean on goal but pulled his shot wide from close range. At the other end, Ryan Yates’ scuffed shot fell to Johnson, who really should have scored but rattled the crossbar from the corner of the six-yard box.
But with Johnson’s next real involvement, he assisted Awoniyi for a tap-in to fire Forest ahead. It came after a schoolboy error from Lyanco, whose shoddy pass to Mohammed Salisu was undercooked and intercepted by Johnson, who stormed through on goal and squared to his Nigerian team-mate to score.
Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters (left) and Forest’s Orel Mangala battle for the ball
It was a landmark night for the Sikh community as Bhupinder Singh Gill became the first Sikh-Punjabi assistant referee in the Premier League. His elder brother Sunny is the country’s highest-ranked South Asian heritage referee, while his father Jarnail was also in the officiating business.
There were a number of empty seats at St Mary’s – a rarity, though understandable given train strikes – but frustration was loudly heard as Southampton passed from side to side and barely looked like penetrating Forest’s defence with vertical balls.
One hopeless long ball went straight to Dean Henderson and was greeted with a loud chorus of boos.
Nathan Jones has now lost all of his four matches in charge at rock bottom Southampton
And as the game ticked on, the severity of Southampton’s situation became evident. Of their front three, Sekou Mara has never scored in the Premier League, Che Adams has scored one top-flight goal since February and Mohamed Elyounoussi scored just twice in the whole of 2022.
Wednesday marked a year of the Sport Republic ownership and there is a feeling that long-term thinking – a transfer policy of signing unproven but promising talents – has led to short-term peril, while boss Jones is yet to win in the league.
Fans voiced their anger at his substitutions – or lack thereof, with Stuart Armstrong remaining on the bench until the 85th minute – and it feels Jones is on borrowed time already. He has forged a career in punching above his weight. But it feels a long way back for him and Southampton.
Forest boss Steve Cooper celebrates after his side moved out of the drop zone
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