Southampton 0-1 Aston Villa: Ross Barkley’s header wins for Villa when Saints are punished by VAR | Football news

Ross Barkley’s header in the first half was enough for Aston Villa to beat Southampton 1-0, which was hit twice by VAR with the smallest margin.

It was a dramatic start to the St Mary’s match when Southampton had a huge penalty cry rejected. Stuart Armstrong’s shot hit Matty Cash in the arm, but VAR official Mike Dean judged that the ball had hit the Aston Villa defender in the thigh first with the slightest touch.

Southampton played well in the first half, but were unable to shoot on target and were penalized for their forceful attack when Ross Barkley (41) nodded after a cross from Jack Grealish just before half-time.

Both teams had chances in the second half, in which Southampton added two more names to their injured list in Ibrahima Diallo and Theo Walcott, and the Saints thought they had achieved a late draw, but Danny Ings was flagged for offside.

The VAR review showed that the forward was offside because of the complexities of a shirt sleeve, and the offside lines showed that he was just a few millimeters out of place.

Aston Villa’s brave defense in the second half helped secure the points, putting them in the second round ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea. Southampton remains 11th as they continue their recent slump in form, and have now won just one of their last eight Premier League matches.

Aston Villa’s perfect away performance

The first VAR intervention of the night occurred 10 minutes after the start. Armstrong’s punch hit Cash on the arm, and referee Lee Mason rejected the penalty claim before the VAR stepped in for a review. However, after two minutes of repetitions, the decision was upheld, and Dean judged that the ball hit Cash’s thigh before his arm with the slightest touch.

Southampton played good football in the first half but only had a real chance to stand out in the 31st minute. Oriol Romeu took Armstrong down the left before the Scotsman cut the ball for Ryan Bertrand at the top of the area. However, his blow was very wide. Soon after, Ollie Watkins fired an effort toward goal after a superb play between Grealish and Matt Targett down the left, but Alex McCarthy jumped to keep the forward at bay.

Aston Villa took an unexpected lead just before the break. Unsurprisingly, the build-up occurred again on the left flank when a long pass from Targett found Grealish behind right-back James Ward-Prowse. Villa’s captain shot a cross into the box, which was emphatically finished off by Barkley.

The second half lacked chances, but Southampton’s night went from bad to worse as they lost two players to injury in five minutes around the time. Diallo fell first, followed by Walcott, and both needed to be replaced. Moussa Djenepo and Che Adams entered their places.

Southampton made their first shot on goal in the 70th minute. Aston Villa initially cleared a free kick, but the Saints managed to keep it alive. Ings passed the ball to Adams, but Emiliano Martínez made a magnificent save. The Southampton forward tried to launch the rebound, but Cash and Martinez helped keep it out.

The Aston Villa keeper, who posted his 10th clean sheet in the Premier League of the season, was once again the hero as Southampton pressed for an equalizer. He made a brilliant and sharp stop to avoid a header from Jan Bednarek, before Adams and Jack Stephens saw their rebounding efforts blocked by John McGinn and Cash respectively on the line.

Southampton thought they had achieved a late draw, but Ings’ effort was ruled offside. Martinez had made another sensational save to deny Adams, but the England forward was on the prowl to get the ball home. However, the offside flag was raised and, after another decision made in the smallest of margins, the VAR confirmed that the goal would still be disallowed.

Man of the Match – Matty Cash

It was an eventful night for Cash. It started with what arguably should have been a penalty, but escaped the slightest touch on his thigh. He was then discreetly involved in Ings offside.

But his defensive work was good in general, especially in the second half. He made some excellent blocks when called upon, two overall, the highest set in the Aston Villa team, and was especially helpful when Adams came close after Southampton’s first shot on goal.

Cash was also in place when the Saints peppered Aston Villa’s goal with shots, blocking an effort from Stephens. There is no question of his part in Villa’s clean sheet.

What the manager said

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “I saw an interesting match and I’m not sure we deserve to lose today. They had a chance, a great chance and they scored. We had more, I think.

“Especially in the second half, we played some good things. At the moment, it’s a bit difficult to accept.

“In the first half, the penalty, I have not seen it yet but they have told me that it is a clear hand since it blocks the shot on the line. It is a clear goal otherwise.

“It fits with the whole situation, the injuries. We have a bit of bad luck. Ingsy’s offside goal, if you take the line here or there … They see it as they see it. Football is not always fair and in the moment is not for us.

“There are so many people arguing about handball in the area and I don’t want to get in this queue. Let’s focus on the things we can do better and not discuss these situations too much.

“Everyone can decide for themselves whether I should override the VAR or not. It is not for me to do so. Let them do their job. Let’s try to do our job.

“We are struggling at the moment with injuries but also with goals. That is why at this moment it is difficult for us to win games.

“The reason I’m not very worried is because we have chances but the final ball doesn’t want to go in. The precision of the final shot is not perfect. We can do this better.”

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith said: “It was a tough performance against a tough team. But what a beautiful goal. Great ball from Jack and great header from Ross.

“So we had to be resolved. We got some big blocks at the end there. And some VAR decisions. We haven’t had too many, it feels good. The offside that I have no complaints with. There’s a line there, it is what it is. .

“As for handball, I haven’t seen it back, but Matt Cash said it came off his thigh.

“The first 20 minutes we had a problem. They played us too easily. We changed things and made it difficult. Today we had a good game.

“I think it’s nine or ten clean sheets this season and that’s brilliant. It gives you a platform and our attackers have the quality.”

“Emi is a very good goalkeeper, that’s why we brought him in. He was also the first to get to the locker room thanking the guys for the plugs.”

Opta Stats – Villa reaches 10 wins

• Aston Villa have beaten Southampton in the Premier League for the first time since December 2013 (3-2 at St Mary’s with Paul Lambert), ending an eight-game winless streak (3 draws and 5 draws).
• Southampton have failed to score in five of their last seven Premier League games – they had only left blank in five of their previous 41 in the competition before this.
• Aston Villa has won its 10th win of the season in its 19th game, the first in a Premier League campaign that has won 10 games since 2009-10 (18 games).
• Only Harry Kane (11) and Kevin De Bruyne (10) have more assists than Jack Grealish (9) in the Premier League this season, while the last Aston Villa player to record more in a single season in the competition was Ashley Young. (10 in 2010-11).

Whats Next?

Southampton will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Man Utd; start 20.15 h. For Aston Villa, they will come home on Wednesday to welcome West Ham; start 20.15 h.