It was a real case of third time lucky for Southampton having drawn Palace at home three times in cup competitions in as many seasons.
Clearly fed up with the sight of each other and the fans tired of the journey to the South Coast it was perhaps apt that the Saints made this win look a little easier than it really should have been.
Alan Pardew took the opportunity to make changes to the starting line up which was expected – Wayne Hennessey, Zeki Fryers (yes, you did read that right!), Yohan Cabaye, Jordon Mutch, Lee Chung-yong, Bakary Sako and Connor Wickham all handed a chance to impress.
The Palace starting eleven still had a strong look to it particularly as fringe players were expected to do a little more than they did in an effort to claim a starting spot. Giving such players game time is important for the squad as a whole which admittedly has been at the expense of youth players this season but fringe players need to be ready to go when called upon.
Not only are Palace out of the competition, but captain Scott Dann left the field with less that twenty minutes on the clock. Walking off unaided, the suggestions are that a hamstring problem ended his involvement and the decision to bring on Martin Kelly was merely precautionary. We will see as the extent of the injury will no doubt be revealed soon.
After a lack lustre opening to the game, Charlie Austin got Southampton off the mark from the penalty spot after Kelly fouled Shane Long in the area. The Palace substitute had not been on the pitch long before losing possession of the ball and in a bid to clear the danger, fouled the Irishman giving the official no option but to award the penalty.
The lead was doubled by twenty year old midfielder Jake Hesketh, scoring his first goal for the club, sending the Saints through to the fourth round of the competition and deservedly so after controlling most of the encounter.
The best chance for the visitors fell to Connor Wickham but he could not get on the end of a poor clearance by former Eagles defender Jose Fonte.
Pardew felt that the spot kick was harsh, suggesting that Long ‘has a bit of history in those situation’ but it is hard to argue with the result. In his comments to the press after the game he eluded to the fact that it is a risk making so many changes but there was not enough imagination to find a way to goal. That much is true, Palace just did not get going and really struggled to contain the hosts particularly down the left hand side for much of the game.
TEB VERDICT
A disappointing evening all round on the South Coast for what should have been a starting line up for the Eagles that would provide a competitive match up but they just did not perform. An early injury to Dann compounded matters on a forgettable night.
LINE UP
13 Wayne Hennessey – Made a couple of decent saves during the game but could have arguably done better with the second goal when making initial stop.
2 Joel Ward – Seemed stuck in his full back position throughout the evening and could not get forward to support the attack.
6 Scott Dann – Early injury saw him replaced by 34 Martin Kelly on 19 minutes. Mistake for the opening goal but recovered to put in a shift in place of the captain.
27 Damien Delaney – One of the shining lights of the evening. A typically battling, hard working performance.
19 Zeki Fryers – Looked very rusty and struggled up against continued attacks down his side of the pitch.
11 Wilfried Zaha – One of those games where he showed flashes of inspiration but disappeared at times.
7 Yohan Cabaye – Much needed run out for the Frenchman but once again seemed frustrated particularly during the second half.
22 Jordon Mutch – Difficult to know what job he had during the game as it was one to forget. Replaced by 42 Jason Puncheon on 69 minutes who provided some much needed possession but failed to turn it into something meaningful.
14 Lee Chung-yong – Good quick feet as ever but found himself going increasingly deeper as the game progressed.
26 Bakary Sako – Another who looked rusty, but important game time even if he failed to impress. Replaced by 17 Christian Benteke on 65 minutes who struggled to get into the game.
21 Connor Wickham – Real lack of support but struggled to anything with what he saw of the ball.
Substitutes not used – 1 Julian Speroni, 4 Mathieu Flamini, 9 Frazier Campbell. 10 Andros Townsend.
MATCH STATISTICS
- Possession: 50% – 50%
- Shots: 14 – 6
- Shots on target: 8 – 2
- Corners: 7 – 4
- Fouls: 14 – 6
We wish Southampton the best of luck in the next round at home to Sunderland.
