Southampton secured a point away at Newcastle United this afternoon in an entertaining 1-1 draw.
Jay Rodriguez cancelled out Yoann Gouffran's opener for Newcastle and both teams pushed for a winning goal.
However, despite some decent chances, it remained 1-1.
Sports Mole takes a closer look at the action between the two sides in what was an engrossing match.
Match statistics:
Newcastle:
Shots: 16
On target: 5
Possession: 40%
Corners: 11
Fouls: 10
Southampton:
Shots: 8
On target: 3
Possession: 60%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 16
Was the result fair?
While Newcastle had the better of the first half, Southampton showed their resilience and came back strongly in the second 45 minutes. Both teams had decent chances to win the game, but a draw was a fair result.
Newcastle's performance
The Magpies demonstrated their intent to attack early on with a succession of corners and nearly took the lead in the 11th minute, but Loic Remy had a shot cleared off the line. Despite having less possession than their opponents, Newcastle created the better openings in the first half and were deservedly ahead at the break. Overall, Alan Pardew can be pleased with another impressive performance.
Southampton's performance
Mauricio Pochettino will have a smile on his face tonight when he thinks about the reaction of his players, but he might have questions regarding their first-half display. Southampton weren't overly poor, but they dominated possession without doing much with it. That changed with the introduction of Adam Lallana. Overall, Saints were worthy of a point.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Jay Rodriguez: The Southampton man just edges this one for his goal and impact after the break. He showed composure to finish past Tim Krul and was a constant threat.
Biggest gaffe
Again, this is a tough one to call, but Jos Hooiveld takes it for his howler which allowed Gouffran to score. Remy's miss was very poor, but he gets away with it for his overall performance.
Referee performance
Michael Jones had a decent afternoon and dealt with any trouble swiftly. However, he will be hurting tonight after getting an accidental whack in the face from Moussa Sissoko.
What next?
Newcastle: Pardew's side travel to Crystal Palace next Saturday.
Southampton: Southampton face Tottenham Hotspur at home next Sunday.
Gary Peters
