Report and free match highlights from the Premier League match between Southampton and Nottingham Forest at St Mary's on Saturday; Morgan Gibbs-White grabbed the winner for the visitors to leave Saints with two defeats from two games
Saturday 24 August 2024 18:09, UK
Southampton's first Premier League home game since promotion ended in defeat as Nottingham Forest walked away from St Mary's with a deserved 1-0 win.
Russell Martin had mentioned in his programme notes that some would call him naive for bringing his trademark passing game to the Premier League - and Saints style caught the eye in that respect.
But the final scoreline flattered them. The hosts created just 0.2 xG, compared to Forest's 2.31 and though they completed almost 300 more passes, Forest had 14 more touches in the opposition box and hit eight shots on target.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side should have been in front just after the half-hour. A blocked shot ricocheted kindly for Chris Wood, who took the ball on his chest and hit a ball to the far post that Nikola Milenkovic diverted past the post, missing a chance with an xG value of 0.73.
Saints looked more confident and in control after the break, but suffered the hammer blow 20 minutes from time, when Morgan Gibbs-White's header from Callum Hudson Odoi's clipped ball came back to him and he converted at the second time of asking.
They could find no way back from there and drop to 16th after starting the season with two straight defeats. Forest, meanwhile, are flying high in fourth.
Southampton manager Russell Martin:
"We didn't play well enough in the first half. There was a lot of tension in the team, then they started well and we turned the ball over too much, which meant there was tension in the stadium. Then we had a couple of moments we didn't make the most of. Out of eagerness to make things happen, the minute we got into the final third, we just turned it over.
"Ultimately, we conceded from a rubbish set-piece. We shouldn't give the ball away in the first place; we had a chance to secure the ball in a moment where we were so on top, had got to grips with the game brilliantly and started to cause them real problems.
"We gave them a corner, had the chance to clear it on the edge of the box and didn't, then I don't know what happened after that - I need to watch it back - but it's not good enough for how much work we do on set-plays, so I'm annoyed at that.
"In the last 15 minutes, there were not enough people desperate to score or make something happen. Charlie [Taylor] whacks one across goal and there's no one attacking it, which is crazy. We had some really good moments, we just didn't show enough quality."
On strengthening the squad before Friday's transfer deadline: "I think we need to add some help in the attacking third, yeah. The big difference today in the teams is that."
Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo:
"I think we played a very good game. Since we started, we were dominant, controlled the tempo of the game and created situations. It's always tough to play away from home; it's an issue that is dragging us. This is the first step towards improvement, but overall a very good performance from the boys.
"In the second half, there was a spell where Southampton showed their quality and, with the way they play, they controlled the game and put us down. We were not able to press and, for 10-15 minutes, it was really tough.
"We always try to find details that we can see and correct. The answer is being slow, positive towards that direction. We still had 45 minutes to play after half-time and the first half didn't mean anything, so it's a new game."
On adding "balance" to the squad in the final days of the transfer window: "You know how it is. We go now and tomorrow, we wake up and you don't know what's going to happen!
"There are so many things going on in the transfer window, surprise moves. All of the teams in the Premier League look at these final days to get it right with the details."
