Russell Martin made clear there would be no rousing Churchillian team talk to try to transform Southampton’s ailing season and, frankly, maybe there is nothing anyone can do now to preserve their Premier League status. Gift-wrapping chances, giving up cheap goals and failing to work the opposition goalkeeper is a cocktail that looks increasingly likely to end in relegation. Their shortcomings gnawed at the Southampton manager. “It’s madness, really,” he said.
His team again had moments, as they so often do, usually courtesy of the prodigious 18-year-old Tyler Dibling, but emerged empty-handed. Again, gallingly, for Saints, bottom and eight points from safety, an individual error allowed the opposition to strike, Jhon Durán firing in his first league goal since September to earn Aston Villa successive victories. For Villa, suddenly things are not quite so bad. For Southampton, the immediate outlook is considerably bleaker.
