Southampton 0-1 West Ham: Jarrod Bowen nets winner as injury-hit Hammers beat Ivan Juric's Saints

Ivan Juric's first game as Southampton boss ended in a frustrating 1-0 defeat to West Ham, who themselves survived multiple scares, injuries and an overturned red card call on the way to victory through Jarrod Bowen's second-half goal.

Croatian boss Juric arrived at bottom club Southampton promising "death metal" football and the Saints should have taken the lead through three first-half Paul Onuachu headers - two close-range efforts were saved and another fell wide.

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Matheus Fernandes also missed a good chance with his header saved from close range as the Saints produced 0.84 xG in the opening period without scoring.

West Ham, who struck the bar through Carlos Soler in the opening minutes, were second best for most of the first half and any momentum was stalled by three first-half injuries. First, Max Kilman came off with a shoulder issue, before Lukasz Fabianski was stretchered off after colliding with Nathan Wood at a corner.

West Ham also lost Carlos Soler to a half-time switch after he limped down the tunnel at the break and it looked like it was getting even worse for the Hammers when Guido Rodriguez was sent off by referee Lewis Smith for an alleged two-footed lunge on Kyle Walker-Peters.

However, VAR demoted the red card to a yellow after seeing the midfielder slipped while making the challenge.

It proved important as West Ham got the lead minutes later as Tomas Soucek's header across goal was flicked on by Niclas Fullkrug, allowing Bowen to tap home for his 100th career league goal.

West Ham could have added to that lead as substitute Crysencio Summerville fired wide from a good chance as Southampton fell asleep at the back, with Mohammad Kudus also hitting the side-netting as the mood dwindled at St Mary's.

Onuachu missed his fourth big chance of the game as he nodded wide of goal on the verge of injury time, while Tyler Dibling fired over a good chance with virtually the last kick of the game. The Hammers held on to make it five games unbeaten in the Premier League, while Southampton remain rooted to the bottom.

Juric: We were better than West Ham

Southampton manager Ivan Juric:

"I know before I arrived here it was very difficult but watching these two games, I think we have to be positive and think positive.

"Against Fulham we were tough. Today we were a better team than West Ham. We have to be positive, try to win the game in Crystal Palace and go on.

"It's a pity that we lost this game and played well. I was thinking that I will need more time and there are details we have to work on.

"Sometimes they're creating something because we defensively miss these details. I think we played good, created a lot, found a way to be dangerous.

"Onuachu scored goals in Belgium every year, 20 goals. In Turkey, it's the same thing. It's not the same thing playing in Turkey and Belgium compared to England.

"But it's not one year that he scored 20 goals. I believe he can do it. What I saw in these training sessions, he has his own characteristics.

"Long ball, keep the ball, the head is strong. It's normal that he's not the fastest player in the world, but in some games, I think he can do it well. In other games, maybe it's better to play with Archer or with another one [up front]."

Analysis: Onuachu sums up Southampton's striker woes

Paul Onuachu touched the ball 12 times in the West Ham penalty box. Eight were shots, seven of them were headers. Despite all of that accounting to 0.57 of Expected Goals, all of them failed to find the net.

In one game, the 6ft 7in striker showed new incoming manager Ivan Juric the exact uphill struggles he faces at Southampton - a sheer lack of goals.

The Saints have scored just 11 times in the Premier League from 17 games. More worryingly, they have just seven goals from eight home games.

This is a side who has spent a combined £75m on Onuachu, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Cameron Archer, Ben Brereton Diaz and Mateus Fernandes in the last 18 months - they have five Premier League goals between them. So many forwards, so little end product.

The intent was much better from Juric's Southampton on Boxing Day. The more direct style brought an attacking verve that rattled West Ham in the first half, while wing-backs Yukinari Sugawara and Kyle Walker-Peters provided so much for Onuachu and Co.

But unless Southampton find their scoring touch, they won't be getting off the bottom of the table any time soon.

Lopetegui enjoys team spirit after having to suffer

West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui:

"We scored the goal, but before the goal I think that the team worked very well.

"The goal is important, the header of Tomas is important and the assist of Fullkrug is important. But above all, the fight of the team is important.

"It's true that Southampton had chances too. It was a really balanced match, in my opinion. We started better, after that they were better, and after it was very balanced.

"I have to rewatch the match to analyse it better, but my first point of view is we were resilient and we were able to suffer as a team to achieve the three important points, in a context where there were a lot of problems."

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