Southampton stay second in Premier League, Burnley get first win of season
Two goals in five minutes from Shane Long earned Southampton a hard-fought 2-0 victory against Leicester at St. Mary's in the Premier League on Saturday, keeping the south coast club second in the table after its impressive start to the season.
Long was a second-half substitute for Sadio Mane in the 68th minute, and broke through a disciplined Leicester defense seven minutes later that until then had nullified Southampton's trademark attacks through the middle of the pitch by setting up with a narrow backline.
''It was difficult against a team who had very good organization in defense,'' Southampton manager Ronald Koeman said, adding that it was a tough decision to replace Long with Mane in the starting lineup. ''Sometimes Shane is not happy, sometimes Sadio is not happy. It is a good reason to not be happy. Shane made the difference in the second half.''
Leicester's tactics meant Koeman's team struggled to find any cohesion in the opening 45 minutes. Mane went closest to scoring on 35, swiping a shot over the bar from a tight angle and seven minutes into the second had a goal correctly ruled out for offside, before Koeman substituted him for Long in the 68th.
Mane had looked most likely to forge an opening while Long entered the game having not scored a Premier League goal for Southampton since his offseason transfer from West Bromwich Albion.
But the Ireland striker rewarded his manager with an assured finish on 75. Graziano Pelle chested down a cross from the right and pushed it into the path of Long, who guided his shot around Kasper Schmeichel with a low, left footed drive.
He secured victory in the 80th, beating Schmeichel one-on-one after Victor Wanyama picked him out with a ball over the top of Leicester's defense.
Elsewhere, Burnley beat Hull 1-0 Saturday to finally claim its first Premier League victory of the season after 11 games.
The Clarets went ahead at Turf Moor through a 50th-minute goal from Ashley Barnes who headed in a cross from Kieran Trippier.
Newly promoted Burnley remained bottom of the league with seven points - two from safety. Queens Park Rangers, which hosted Manchester City later Saturday, also has seven points.
Hull played the last 20 minutes with only 10 men after its captain Curtis Davies was forced off with an injury when his side had already made three substitutions.
Hull, which has not scored in three straight games, stayed two points clear of the drop zone in 14th place.
And finally, Aston Villa ended a six-match losing streak and snatched a vital point in the Premier League, holding on for a hard-earned 0-0 draw against West Ham on Saturday.
West Ham dominated and had plenty of chances to win at Upton Park, but slopping finishing and resolute Villa defending prevented the home side from scoring.
''It was a really great point,'' Villa manager Paul Lambert said. ''To come to a ground where Liverpool and Manchester City have been beaten recently, it's a massive point for us.''
The Hammers squandered numerous opportunities, with midfielder Stewart Downing and striker Enner Valencia forcing fine saves from Villa keeper Brad Guzan, and Diafra Sakho heading several times over the crossbar.
Guzan kept out a goal-bound header in injury time from substitute Andy Carroll, playing his first match of the season following an ankle injury.
West Ham started confidently, with on-loan Barcelona midfielder Alex Song providing the industry, and Downing the craft.
The first real chance of the match, however, fell to Villa as striker Gabriel Agbonlahor skipped past James Collins only to blast over the bar from close range.
Villa center backs Ron Vlaar and Nathan Baker stoutly marshalled the visitors' defense. But West Ham soon found space on the flanks following the type of probing and patient buildup play not normally associated with manager Sam Allardyce.
West Ham nearly had a winner, but fullback Carl Jenkinson headed straight at Guzan as the east London team continued to press and carve out chance after chance.
''We couldn't have done anything more in terms of chances created,'' Allardyce said. ''Our finishing was a little disappointing considering how good it's been this season.''
The result ended an appalling run of form for Villa, which lost six consecutive matches after beating Liverpool on Sept. 13. Villa is two points above the relegation zone in 16th place with 11 points. West Ham provisionally moved into 4th with 18 points.
