Southampton 0-0 Newcastle United
Game number 10 of the season for Newcastle United and the wait for a win goes on.
Rafa named an unchanged side for this one with Muto holding on to his place despite a fit again Rondon making the squad.
STARTING XI: Dubravka, Yedlin, Lascelles, Fernandez, Dummett, Ritchie, Shelvey, Diame (Ki, 76), Kenedy, Perez (Rondon, 69), Muto (Atsu, 80)
It was Southampton who started the brightest and but for Dubravka it could have been the worst possible start as the keeper got down well to tip a Elyounoissi strike around the post.
The home side going into the game having only lost once in 24 games at home to Newcastle. The incentive for Newcastle being the knowledge that a win, and some results going to form elsewhere, would see the Magpies climb out of the bottom three.
After an early bright start for the home side Newcastle did start to get into the contest without really creating anything of note in terms of clear cut chances.
A good bit of pressure on 40 minutes from Newcastle resulted in a corner with the black and whites looking to finally get a shot on target only to see the ball break to Southampton who broke at speed with Lemina seeing his shot hit the base of Dubravka’s post after a Bertrand cross.
Just before the half time whistle the same played who scared Newcastle at the start of the half did the same again, this time Elyounoissi’s shot curling wide of the Slovakians post.
Then in stoppage time the Martin Dubravka once more showed his quality, a rare moment from any player in fact, as he produced a wonderful save to keep it 0-0 at half time.
Into the second half and it was more of the same.
Southampton now cranking up the pressure would throw everything at it for a rare home victory. Chance after chance would be wasted as Mark Hughes threw everything at it. Even the introduction of Long, Gabbiadini and Ward-Prowse with Southampton pretty much playing 3 up top by the end wouldn’t break the deadlock though, in part down to poor finishing but also down to the intermittent brilliance of Dubravka.
At the other end a 20 minute run out for Rondon in place of Perez still wasn’t enough for Newcastle to find a single shot on target in the whole game. Pretty shambolic really.
The point lifts the Magpies off the bottom of the table on goal difference from Huddersfield. The wait for a win goes on!
