Up until Sunday a dearth of goals had been a frustrating staple of Southampton’s season. The goal-shy Saints had registered only nine strikes in 12 Premier League games ahead of their clash with Everton, but after firing in four goals - yes four - in a 4-1 rout of the Toffees Mauricio Pellegrino’s men hope to have kick-started their season, led by a rejuvenated Charlie Austin who bagged both a brace and the man of the match accolade.
With the game level (1-1) at half-time - and Pellegrino’s future on the line - the hosts desperately needed a spark, which subsequently came in the form of Austin, in his first start of the season. The striker, with just one goal in 14 games dating back to November 2016, hammered home two near-identical headers in the space of six fruitful minutes to propel three-quarters of St Mary’s up onto their feet.
Remarkably these were Austin’s first goals from open play in a staggering 364 days, as he became the club’s joint top-goalscorer this season. Simply put, when Austin starts he scores, with Sunday’s brace taking his impressive tally to seven goals in his last 11 starts.
Take note Pellegrino.
Austin told Sky Sports Premier League:
“For me it was all about biding my time on the training pitch. I have got my reward, and more importantly we got the three points. It’s the first 80 minutes I’ve played since Stoke in the first game of last season and I was blowing the cobwebs off my legs.”
Admittedly the win was against managerless Everton, who have endured a simply shambolic season so far, but there's no questioning that a previously stuttering and toothless Saints sizzled in front of their previously goal-starved supporters. The relief was palpable, while the timing of the result was pivotal ahead of a daunting run of fixtures during which the Hampshire outfit lock horns with Man City (Wednesday), Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Man Utd before the year is out.
#SOUEVE
Back in January 2016 Austin, a £4m purchase from QPR, made an instant impact at Southampton, coming off the bench to bag a last-gasp winner over Man Utd at Old Trafford (see video). However, the striker has since been plagued by injuries, resulting in a lack of playing time and minimal starts. This has made life difficult as he bids to impress Pellegrino - his third Saints manager in less than two years - who simply has to start the striker against the all-conquering league leaders Man City on Wednesday.
Austin’s eye for goal has never been a concern - only last season he bagged seven goals in six games between September and October - but with Shane Long goalless since February and the confidence-shot Manolo Gabbiadini struggling to replicate the superb form he showed when he first joined the Saints, a reinvigorated Austin now has the perfect chance to make the position his own.
