‘As You Were’ after the Tussle at the Top

Neither Sam Allardyce nor Nigel Adkins gave the impression in their post-match interviews that they were particularly pleased with a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night, but I suspect that behind closed doors both might have congratulated themselves on a job well done, or at least a setback averted.

Allardyce’s side may have lead for almost an hour at Upton Park but from the moment Matt Taylor was dismissed in the first half the Irons were second best, as you might expect, to their league challengers. Adkins, on the other hand, might have begun to wonder if it was to be ‘one of those nights’ until Jos Hooiveld levelled with fifteen minutes remaining.

In the end, a draw was probably a fair result. The Hammers were straight into their opponents from the off, allowing Southampton no time to settle. Carlton Cole was holding the ball up well, while Vaz Te and Faubert looked like they had the beating of the Saints full-backs. The first chance came after just forty-five seconds; hesitancy in the visitors defence gifted Vaz Te an opportunity at the edge of the area, but Davis denied him his first West Ham goal with a stunning save to his right.

If that was a warning sign, Southampton were slow to heed it. Within five minutes Davis was called into action again, saving at the feet of Cole before Reid fired the rebound over the crossbar. Noble and Collison had taken control of the midfield, and it looked as though West Ham had been rewarded for their superiority on twenty minutes. A quick free-kick found Noble in the penalty area, who went to ground under a challenge from Sharp.

To call the contact minimal would be an overstatement, and Sharp reacted furiously, running over to confront Noble. Former Portsmouth favourite Taylor took exception to Sharp’s vociferous protests, pushing the Yorkshireman to the ground and receiving the obligatory red card, much to the delight of the Saints fans. Noble dispatched the spot-kick, but the complexion of the game was changed.

Within minutes Southampton had begun to dictate play; Adkins had made the switch to a diamond midfield, and Lallana was finding space in behind Lambert and Sharp. They should have levelled on the half hour when Lallana’s shot was parried by Green into Sharp’s path, but he somehow conspired to direct his shot straight at the prone ‘keeper with the goal gaping. Minutes later Green could only watch as Lambert’s free-kick beat the wall, but whistled just past the post. Green also made a fine low save from Lambert's placed effort.

The second half took on a similar pattern; Schneiderlin and the newly-introduced Jason Puncheon dropping deep to receive the ball and setting up attack after attack, but they found West Ham’s resolute defence, in the form of Tomkins and Faye, difficult to breach. Lallana drilled a shot narrowly over the crossbar before Hooiveld directed his header high and wide, and the match just looked to be slipping away from the Saints when they finally found the equaliser that their play merited. Fox’s floated free-kick was headed down by Lambert, and Hooiveld poked home from close range for his second goal against the Hammers this season.

Suddenly West Ham attacked with new purpose, sensing perhaps that trying to see out the final fifteen minutes against an invigorated Saints side wouldn’t be a wise move. Substitute Maynard tested Davis after he was gifted the ball in the area, but the rest of the match played out largely without incident.

The result, coupled with wins for a resurgent Blackpool and third-placed Cardiff City, leaves the race for promotion tantalisingly poised. Southampton will be buoyed by a further game unbeaten and will head into their encounter with Derby County at St Mary’s in good spirits – their promotion push looks back on course after a difficult few months, but a lot can change in fifteen games.

On this showing, West Ham’s steady but relentless progress looks unlikely to falter badly enough to deny them promotion; you sense that the footballing sacrifices made by Allardyce in terms of style of play may be the very things that deliver the fans promotion at the first time of asking. How well this will sit with the Upton Park faithful if results aren’t delivered in the Premier League, however, remains to be seen. If their reaction to the Saints’ fans rendition of ‘Football, you used to play football’ is anything to go by, the footballing philosophy might have to change sooner rather than later in East London.