Huddersfield 1-3 Southampton: Saints win second consecutive game

Nathan Redmond scored his first goal since May to set Saints on their way

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said he was delighted he could share an "emotional moment" with Saints fans after his side won for the second game in a row with a 3-1 victory at Huddersfield.

Hasenhuttl celebrated with his players on the pitch in front of the away fans moments after the final whistle.

"I'm happy to have emotional moments with them at Christmas, and I'm happy they have seen a Southampton team that they want to see," said the Austrian, who replaced Mark Hughes earlier this month.

After a 3-2 win over Arsenal last Sunday, this was the first time Saints have won successive Premier League games since April 2017 and edged them up one place in the table to 16th.

Hasenhuttl's side were 2-0 up at the break thanks to Nathan Redmond's cool strike and a Danny Ings penalty, but the hosts improved after the break and halved the deficit through Philip Billing's swerving, long-range effort.

But Michael Obafemi's goal sealed a fifth consecutive defeat and a seventh loss at home for Town, who stay in the relegation zone.

"This was an important win to see how far we are in our development against an opponent who doesn't give many chances to win the ball early," Hasenhuttl told BBC Sport. "It's been important getting six points, but we march on."

Huddersfield, with just four goals scored at home so far this season, remain 19th and are without injured top scorer Aaron Mooy until February.

The Terriers were poor before half-time, and on the back foot from the moment Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's through ball slipped through the legs of Terence Kongolo, allowing Redmond to race on to the pass and smash a first-time shot beyond Town keeper Jonas Lossl.

Mathias Jorgensen's trip on Ings inside the area gave the on-loan Liverpool striker the chance to send Lossl the wrong way from the spot, but Huddersfield's impressive fightback after the break was capped by Billing's second goal of the campaign.

Just when it looked like the home side might complete a comeback, Christopher Schindler's mistake near the byeline allowed Redmond to feed the exciting Obafemi, who steadied himself near the penalty spot before calmly rolling the ball into the net.

The Hasenhuttl effect

Although the manner of the performance was impressive enough, Saints fans will be stirred by the sight of their new manager out on the pitch celebrating with his players and in front of the hardy souls who had travelled to West Yorkshire on a bleak midwinter's day.

Huddersfield 1-3 Southampton: Hasenhuttl praises 'fantastic' Saints

Prior to the arrival of the 'Klopp of the Alps', Southampton looked odds-on for a struggle in the darkest time of the year and with games piling up over the festive period.

But, by seeing off Arsenal at home and then Huddersfield on the road, the Austrian has undoubtedly lifted spirits.

Rather than the aggressive pressing style he is known for, Hasenhuttl's unchanged side bided their time against their pumped-up hosts before Redmond pounced to set them on their way.

And the cameo performance of Obafemi was another bright spot. At 18 years and 169 days old, the Republic of Ireland international became Southampton's youngest scorer in the Premier League, and also forced Lossl into a save late in the match.

Bad day at the office for Huddersfield

The errors by Kongolo and Schindler that led to Southampton's first and third goals summed up a one step forward, two steps back approach for the Terriers, with each undermining periods where they could have taken hold of the match.

Jorgensen's trip on Ings for the penalty just before half-time only added to the problems faced by Huddersfield manager David Wagner.

Huddersfield 1-3 Southampton: David Wagner criticises Terriers

Maybe the German roused his side in the dressing room, because they looked a different proposition until Obafemi's killer blow, but the stark facts now are Huddersfield have huge problems as the season nears the halfway point.

That Billing's goal was just the fourth scored by the home side at the John Smith's Stadium this season is worrying enough, but the absence of Mooy until February is another headache for Wagner.

Man of the match - Nathan Redmond (Southampton)

Hasenhuttl nearly catching Hughes already - the stats you may have missed

Hasenhuttl has won two of his three Premier League matches in charge of Southampton (L1) - only one fewer than Mark Hughes managed in 22 attempts as Saints boss.
Southampton have registered back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since April 2017 under Claude Puel.
Huddersfield have lost nine of their past 12 home Premier League games (W1 D2), netting just four goals in that time.
Redmond scored his first Premier League goal of the season for Southampton with his 28th shot at goal.
Since the start of last season, Huddersfield Town have had more different players booked for diving than any other Premier League team (4 - Rajiv van La Parra, Alex Pritchard, Laurent Depoitre and Chris Lowe).
During 2018, Huddersfield have played 20 matches in all competitions at the John Smith's Stadium, scoring just 11 times (W3 D4 L13).
Ings has scored five league goals (including play-offs) against Huddersfield - more than against any other side.
Obafemi became both the youngest player to score in the Premier League for Southampton and also the youngest player from the Republic of Ireland to score in the competition.

What's next?

The Terriers travel to Old Trafford on 26 December to face Manchester United (15:00 GMT). Southampton get an extra day off, and face West Ham at home on Thursday (19:45 GMT).

Line-ups
Match Stats
Live Text

Line-ups

Huddersfield

Formation 3-4-1-2

1Lössl
25M JorgensenBooked at 63mins
26Schindler
5Kongolo
33Hadergjonaj
7BacunaSubstituted forKachungaat 65'minutes
8Billing
15LöweBooked at 11minsSubstituted forDurmat 45'minutes
21Pritchard
18MbenzaSubstituted forQuanerat 81'minutes
24Mounie

Substitutes

9Kachunga
11Diakhaby
12Hamer
20Depoitre
23Quaner
27Stankovic
37Durm

Southampton

Formation 3-4-2-1

1McCarthy
35Bednarek
3Yoshida
4Vestergaard
43ValeryBooked at 52minsSubstituted forStephensat 79'minutesBooked at 84mins
14Romeu
23HøjbjergBooked at 86mins
33Targett
22Redmond
17ArmstrongSubstituted forLeminaat 69'minutes
9IngsSubstituted forObafemiat 65'minutes

Substitutes

5Stephens
7Long
10Austin
18Lemina
28Gunn
61Obafemi
66Ramsay

Referee:: Stuart Attwell
Attendance:: 22,384

Match Stats

Home TeamHuddersfieldAway TeamSouthampton

Possession: Home62%; Away38%

Shots: Home16; Away13

Shots on Target: Home5; Away6

Corners: Home8; Away2

Fouls: Home12; Away9

Live Text

Post update
Match ends, Huddersfield Town 1, Southampton 3.
90'+6'
Full Time
Second Half ends, Huddersfield Town 1, Southampton 3.

90'+5'
Post update
Foul by Christopher Schindler (Huddersfield Town).
90'+5'
Post update
Maya Yoshida (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90'+4'
Post update
Offside, Huddersfield Town. Zanka tries a through ball, but Elias Kachunga is caught offside.
90'+4'
Post update
Attempt blocked. Zanka (Huddersfield Town) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
90'+2'
Post update
Attempt blocked. Steve Mounie (Huddersfield Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Collin Quaner.
90'+2'
Post update
Foul by Zanka (Huddersfield Town).
90'+2'
Post update
Michael Obafemi (Southampton) wins a free kick on the right wing.
90'+1'
Post update
Attempt missed. Alex Pritchard (Huddersfield Town) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Philip Billing.
89'
Post update
Attempt missed. Nathan Redmond (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Mario Lemina.
87'
Post update
Foul by Collin Quaner (Huddersfield Town).
87'
Post update
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
86'
Post update
Attempt saved. Michael Obafemi (Southampton) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Oriol Romeu.
86'
Booking
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Southampton) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
86'
Post update
Terence Kongolo (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
86'
Post update
Foul by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Southampton).
85'
Post update
Foul by Collin Quaner (Huddersfield Town).
85'
Post update
Jannik Vestergaard (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
84'
Post update
Corner, Huddersfield Town. Conceded by Jan Bednarek.

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61 comments

I had forgotten how to enjoy football for a while there. Nice one Saints
Early days, but Hasenhuttl has already given Saints fans a feeling of optimism missing for the past two years.
Well done Saints !! Too often Saints have thrown away a lead and either drawn or lost...but not today !! I think Hasenhuttl is going to do well at Saints. Players seem to have found a manager they want to play for.
Momentum can be a powerful thing. Two games in and the players start believing. Couple that with the fact that Saints do have some decent players and already I think they'll be staying up.
Southampton deserved the win with a robust away performance. Two games under Hasenhuttl and two wins gets them out of the relegation mire. Nathan Redmond has been excellent this season and again put in a shift for the Saints and scored a crucial goal to settle Saints. Huddersfield are in real trouble and beginning to drift. They need to find goals and quick before its too late.
A depressive 2 and a half years of football at Southampton lifted after three games by Ralph. He will go far, meaning Saints will have done well. Excellent appointment by the board, back to the good days. Hughes must see this and he must be embarrassed, surely. Guess the pay off helps with the embarrassment. Charlatan.
It's been a great day being an LFC fan.
But I just wanted to stop by and wish Danny Ings well. A great bloke and good to see him getting the game time he so deserves.
Congrats on the win SFC by the way.
Says something for Hughes' managerial acumen that he has almost been eclipsed already by someone no-one has ever heard of using the same squad.
Another improved performance, winning in a different way this time. Perfect run up to Christmas. Let's make it three in a row on the 27th please Saints. At last a manager we can have faith in!
Two games, six goals and six points for Southampton -- what a difference a decent manager can make! Keep it up, and the fans will be assured of PL football next season. What an amazing turnaround, after the grim days of Hughes.
Incredible transformation in such a short period, not been easy being a Saints fan over the past couple of seasons. Ralph the ultimate Christmas present!
really important win today, have to beat the teams around you. Guess I was wrong to say stick with Hughes to avoid relegation look like a different team, gone back to the high press, Southampton can only really play that way, too good to sit back and wait to get beat, not good enough to dominate possession like top teams, good enough to do something with it wining it back
As a Southampton fan I’d forgotten what is was like to win one game, never mind two. Hasenhuttl to Spurs is my recurring nightmare
It feels like we're finally back to the good days.

So much quality in this Saints side and Hasenhüttl gets the Saints way. Great to see Ramsay in the squad too!

Got Harrison Reed to come back next season too!
No need to panic yet Huddersfield.
You have a good manager and half a season to go.
All the same negatives were levelled at Saints before we won a couple of games !
Well that's as bad as it gets for Town..a real horror show, and sadly the fans starting to lose faith. Fair play to Saints though (and their fans) they showed us how pace, work and direction really works. It's a long long time since I've seen us look so totally disorganised as that 1st half and sadly some of the expensive buys continue to prove they werejust a waste of money. Old Trafford next..!
@36 TMAVL You talk some absolute drivel! Town may well be going down, but that’s the only way Villa will be playing us next season. Villa are just another ‘big’ club who have delusions of grandeur and believe they are automatically entitled to a place in the top division.
Well, he certainly seems to be making a name for himself already.

Let's hope Spurs don't Nick him when Potch clears off to United
The worst performance under Wagners rein. Congratulations to Southampton today spoilt by Charlie Austin’s childish behaviour when Southampton scored their third goal.
The kids who were laughting at the Southampton manager's name....

.....they're not laughing now! ;-#)))

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