32 min:Back come Leicester, and once more it is Barnes who is at the heart of the move. He seems to have an excellent understanding with Chilwell down this left flank. The left back overlaps Barnes and the pair play a one-two, with the winger so nearly squirming a shot under Gunn from close range. TheSouthamptonkeeper actually does well to stop it with his feet, and just claws the loose ball back from the goal-line when it runs free.
30 min:Chance for Southampton! This is an excellent move from the home side, which starts with Redmond bursting past Soyuncu on the right wing. The Englishmna switches the play wonderfully to Ings, who cuts the ball back to Romeu, who in turn feeds Redmond once more. Redmond is in, but a covering tackle from Evans forces him into an early shot, which is well saved by Schmeichel.
28 min:Barnes goes to ground on the edge of the box, claiming a foul from Romeu. Andre Marriner isn’t having it, although the Englishman was probably impeded by Romeu’s arm. Not enough to fall to the floor, mind. That said, I think Barnes is an exceptional player. Somebody that has played down the leagues with MK Dons, Barnsley and West Brom and knows the physical dirty side of the game. And he’s so dynamic with the ball at his feet, can simply run round you with his pace.
25 min:The game has settled down, a little bit.Southamptonhave got into Leicester’s half, and in fairness to Nathan Redmond, he actually looks quite bright, skipping past Ricardo Pereira on the left wing.
23 min:Good ebening. That’s really one for the Arsenal fans – I don’t particularly care – but I do think Brendan is a better manager.
21 min:Hasenhüttl, absolutely drenched on the sidelines, gestures for Ward-Prowse to come over and have a chat. The maverick 3-4-2-1 isn’t working…
20 min:Some home fans are leaving.
GOAL ! Southampton 0-3 Leicester (Perez 19)
This could be a cricket score – it’s raining goals. This is just a simple one-two between Perez and Tielemans. Perez isn’t tracked, and the former Newcastle man gets into the penalty area and fires a fierce, low strike in at the near post. Boos ring out around St Mary’s.
Updated
GOAL ! Southampton 0-2 Leicester (Tielemans 17)
Absolutely sensational from Barnes, who nutmegs Valery on the left, storms past another covering defender and cuts the ball back. Valery actually recovers to get back, but only diverts it into Tielemans’s feet, who fires past Gunn’s right hand from around the penalty spot. Wow.
Updated (at 3. 24 PM EDT
15 min:Perez seems to be OK, after that challenge from Bertrand.
12 min:This is surely not going to end well forSouthampton, who now have a mountain to climb.
“That was an exciting match while it lasted,” emails Rob Coughlin. “I feel for the Saints’ supporters still sitting in that weather. ”
RED CARD! Bertrand is sent off!
The incident is actually shown on the big screens for the fans, and nobody seems to have any complaints. Bertrand trudges off,Southamptonare a goal and a man down.
Updated
GOAL ! Southampton 0-1 Leicester (Chilwell 10)
Chilwell miscues a cross right into the path of Barnes, who diverts a first-time shot towards goal. Gunn palms it out and Chilwell, who has the run on Valery at right back, is first to the ball. He simply sidefoots the ball into the net, with Gunn scrambling but unable to get to the rebound. 1-0!
Updated (at 3.) PM EDT
9 min:Valery is very lucky boy! His backpass holds up in the wet grass, and Gunn only just gets to the ball before Barnes.
8 min:Harvey Barnes has the game’s first shot, a low curling effort that ends up a few yards wide of the far post. It was never really troubling Gunn.
3 min:There is going to be some mistake – a comedy slip, perhaps – that leads to a goal tonight.
1min:It is – and I can’t emphasize this enough – an absolutely disgusting evening inSouthampton. The rain is pouring down at a fairly acute angle.
Peeeeeeeeeep
Updated (at 3.) PM EDT
The teams are out,Southamptonin their red and white with a black trim. Leicester in their royal blue.
Winter ball alert
Tonight will be the first fixture this season that we use the yellow winter ball. A fitting addition to what is a filthy evening. Get VERY excited about that.
“I agree that Brendan Rogers is a good manager,”emails JR in Illinois. “If I was going to say what I like about him I would say he seems like one weird dude and that he was possibly the most Brent-ian of managers until recently when I believe Phil Neville may have taken that title from him.”
It’s absolutely tipping it down at St Mary’s Stadium. Not sure they needed those sprinklers.
Nobody has created more chancesin thePremier Leaguesince the start of last season than James Maddison, who was extremely unlucky not to make his England debut over the international break due to illness, and even more unlucky to be pictured in a casino, shortly after he was released by Gareth Southgate for being ill.
Still, Brendan has got his back.
For Saints, this is what the bottom of the league currently looks like.
But this has been a rotten run of fixtures for the south club coast. After defeats to Chelsea and Tottenham,Southamptondid well to get a 1-1 draw at Wolves last time out. This match comes before two consecutive matches away at Manchester City (one league, one cup) and then games against Everton and Arsenal. If they can get through those and remain just clear of the drop zone, Hasenhüttl will be delighted. Nobody is expecting a top-half finish.
Some pics as we gear up for kick-off.
Here are the teams
Southampton:Gunn, Bednarek, Yoshida , Vestergaard, Valery, Romeu, Hojbjerg, Bertrand, Ward-Prowse, Redmond, Ings.
Subs:McCarthy, Stephens, Long, Adams, Armstrong, Boufal, Danso.
Leicester:Schmeichel, Ricardo Pereira, Evans, Soyuncu, Chilwell, Ndidi, Perez, Tielemans, Maddison, Barnes, Vardy.
Subs:Justin, Morgan, Gray, Albrighton, Ward, Choudhury, Praet.
Referee:Andre Marriner (West Midlands)
Good ebening
Say what you like about Brendan Rodgers – and plenty have about envelope-gate and that portrait of himself hanging in the hallway of his house – but he is a very good football manager. It was touch and go there for a while – you can never be sure when somebody is managing Celtic – but when the Northern Irishman arrived in Leicester, it just felt like a very good fit. They are largely young, exciting players, devoid of many egos even though some of them remain Premier League winners, who are willing to get on board with Brendan-Ball and with a few wise, older heads keeping the dressing room in check,Leicester Cityare on the up
In fact, they could leapfrog Manchester City to go second tonight, with a win overSouthampton. Not bad for a team with a net spend of just £ 15 m in the summer.
Southampton are without a league win since a 1-0 win over Sheffield United six weeks ago, and just outside the relegation zone. With a modest squad, Ralph Hasenhüttl has done a reasonable job thus far, blooding academy youngsters and helping new recruits settle down: Moussa Djenepo looks particularly promising up front.
This is exactly the sort of game that Leicester need to win if they want to break the top four. But under the evening lights, St Mary’s always seems to have a little boost.
Kick off: 8pm BST.
I’ll have the teams with you shortly.
Updated (at 2.) PM EDT
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