'Smile on my face says it all' - Theo Walcott returns to scoring ways but Southampton miss chance to beat Wolves
john percy
·15 min read
Theo Walcott celebrates scoring the opener - GETTY IMAGES
It has been nearly 15 years since Theo Walcott last scored a league goal for Southampton, but this is a second coming that is already looking promising.
Walcott was a teenager on the brink of his big move to Arsenal when he netted against Luton in December 2005, and few could have predicted then the path his career would take.
He is now back with his first club and enjoying himself, after signing on loan from Everton, with this goal providing further evidence that he is far from finished in the Premier League at the age of 31.
Yet Walcott should have added a second goal soon after and it proved costly, with Southampton denied a fourth successive league win after Pedro Neto’s 75th-minute equaliser.
Walcott has now scored in 14 consecutive Premier League seasons, but it was the miss which had manager Ralph Hasenhuttl jumping around in his technical area.
“I don’t remember my last league goal,” said Walcott. “The smile on my face says it all. The club is close to my heart. Hopefully I can show what I can do on the field. Our aim is to continue fighting. Who knows where it will go? We’re not easy to play against.
“The guys have done brilliantly – seven games without losing. The international break can be unsettling but we worked very hard to get a point and it feels like a win.”
Southampton's Theo Walcott, left, reacts after a missed shot - Pool via AFP
Wolves deserved a point but are still waiting for lift-off under Nuno Espirito Santo this season, with the Portuguese springing a surprise here by leaving Conor Coady out of his matchday squad. Coady played every single minute of last season in the league, and has made 121 consecutive league appearances, but was watching this game in the stand at Molineux.
The Wolves captain was forced to withdraw from England duty on November 12 and placed in quarantine after coming in contact with somebody who had tested positive for the virus.
He was available to play against Southampton but Nuno opted to exclude him from the squad, while Romain Saiss was also absent after testing positive following his return from international duty with Morocco.
Nuno said: "It's a big blow. Coady has played since the Championship, a lot of games, and unfortunately this is how it goes with the current situation.
“Saiss is in self-isolation since returning from the national team. He is at home, by himself, with the family in another room, and he has to protect himself because we want him to return safe and healthy.
“Many things don't make sense and it's not a good moment for anybody, but I’m proud of the players we had here. We have an identity that is not about the system, it is about the idea to fight and to play good.”
While Nuno’s struggles over the complexities of working through a global pandemic continue, Southampton are on an upward trajectory under Hasenhuttl.
Their performances this season have been full of verve and vigour and here they had the incentive of moving up into third place with a victory.
Wolves were denied three times by Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy and it was the 60th time in 85 first halves since their return to the Premier League that they have failed to score.
Hasenhuttl was was celebrating on the pitch in the 58th minute, after Southampton registered the opening goal. Che Adams pulled the ball back from the touchline and Walcott capitalised on poor marking from Nelson Semedo to put away his shot.
Walcott should have added a second goal after being sent clear by Adams eight minutes later, yet this time his finish was poor, dragging the ball wide.
He was made to pay for that miss when Wolves levelled. Raul Jimenez was given a rare sight on goal, striking the post with a low shot, and Neto picked up on the loose ball to smash home.
09:52 PM
Full time: Wolves 1 Southampton 1
Enjoyable game. Wolves were not at their best but fought all the way. Saints played some attractive football but, given that their goalie had to make several excellent saves throughout, can hardly complain at a point. We will get to a match report directly.
09:51 PM
90 mins: Wolves 1 Southampton 1
Diallo, on as a late sub, spins away from a marker elegantly and fires the ball in, but Soton are not exactly flooding the Wolves area. Three minutes added.
09:49 PM
89 mins: Wolves 1 Southampton 1
Saints have got it in the right areas - Walcott cannily winning a corner. Saints bring their big men up, but are keeping others back. They would 100% take a point.
09:47 PM
87 mins: Wolves 1 Southampton 1
Saints hanging on and managing to slow it down a bit. Wolves not had an opening for three or four minutes. This will be a good battling point for both sides I think.
09:42 PM
84 mins: Wolves 1 Southampton 1
Walker-Peters tries to do too much, loses it... and Neto gets a shot in. Blocked by McCarthy in the Saints goal using hos foot. Another excellent save from him. Wolves really asking all the questions.
09:41 PM
82 mins: Wolves 1 Southampton 1
Traore shoulder to shoulder with Romeu, sends him crumpling to the floor. No foul. Ralph Hasenhüttl is so cross that he runs onto the pitch!
09:38 PM
80 mins: Wolves 1 Southampton 1
Two corners in quick succession for Wolves. Saints defend stoutly.
09:37 PM
78 mins: Wolves 1 Southampton 1
Long replaces Djenepo for the visitors. But it is all Wolves at the moment. Saints under real pressure.
09:36 PM
77 mins: Wolves 1 Southampton 1
Wolves have to be fancied from here. Freekick to them 25 yards out. Moutinho delivers it, Jimenez bullets home the header... but it is offside.
09:34 PM
GOAL! Wolves 1 Southampton 1 (Neto 75)
Like this! Moutinho drives forward and Jimenez shows great skill and vision to create a shooting opportunity. He cracks a shot at goal and it hits the far post. It comes back off the woodwork at a good clip but Neto the sub is right there to slot it home.
09:33 PM
74 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 1
Wolves are famously strong finishers, Saints are wobbly front-runners. How will the last 15 play out?
09:30 PM
72 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 1
The change nearly works right away. Should have worked. Traore crosses, Podence dummies, and new man Neto has a chance to slot it home. But he tarries a fraction too long and the block comes in.
09:28 PM
70 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 1
Wolves are not at their best. Traore with a run but no cross to match. Now Dendoncker with a clumsy foul. A promising break halted when Raul Jimenez fails to direct a pass.
Nuno brings off Ruben Neves in favour of Neto
09:25 PM
65 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 1
Ah, Theo. One of English football's premier nearly men. Brilliant work from Adams as he holds it up, holds off two or three, and sends a perfect ball through for Walcott. Walcott has only the keeper to beat and... doesn't. Screws his shot wide.
09:20 PM
61 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 1
Most points dropped from winning positions since December 2018: Southampton, with 37 points. Great bit of stat work from Sky. Can they hang on here, though?
09:18 PM
GOAL! Wolves 0 Southampton 1 (Walcott 58)
15 years after his last League goal for Saints - there's Theo! Southampton have the ball in the Wolves last third. It's all a bit scrappy but they keep the move alive one way or the other. Adams fights hard and gets his cross in. And Theo Walcott is the man who taps it in.
Semedo caught napping.
There's a question of a foul in the build up as Aït-Nouri and Armstrong battled for the ball but the goal will, rightly, stand.
09:12 PM
55 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Oh but that was a proper chance! Cross comes in from the left, Jiménez is up for the header. You'd always back this guy with the head from ten yards but on this occasion he manages only a glancing header.
09:11 PM
53 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Excellent move from Wolves. Aït-Nouri surges forward, finds Podence with a good ball. Vestergaard skilfully stops him from cutting back inside onto the right and Podence has to settle for a tame effort with the left.
09:09 PM
49 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Romeu gives it away, cheaply. To Traore, worse still, who makes a run down the right, but he cannot deliver a suitable cross.
09:06 PM
47 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Traore fouled again, by Bertrand.
09:04 PM
46 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Boly and Kilman have swopped sides - Kilman, who is left footed, is now the LCB.
09:02 PM
Players are coming back out
Eddie Howe: "half time team talks are more about getting the mentality right, although substitutions are obviously important."
Which of these two talented and likeable managers will find the right combo to crack this game open?
08:48 PM
Half time: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Southampton have had more of the ball, but it's Wolves who have created the most goal-threat moments. Some decent saves from Saints custodian McCarthy. All in all. a pretty enough match but without all that much va-va-voom.
08:47 PM
45 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Wolves have the ball as the half comes to an end, but cannot do all that much with it. Traore loses the ball and then, in his eagerness to get it back, chops down Djenepo. Sore one on a cold night. The Rhyme of The Andre Mariner books him. That'll do it for the half.
08:45 PM
43 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Neves is a fraction late on Romeu and becomes the game's first booking.
08:39 PM
39 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Ward-Prowse delivers a free, Walcott cannot apply the finish at the first post.
08:36 PM
36 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
From the ensuing freekick, wee Daniel Podence of all people gets up for a solid glancing header. Smart save.
08:35 PM
34 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Good insight into the Wolves formation from Chris Sutton on the BBC: "It's interesting to see the change of system. Over the last few seasons we have got used to Wolves with those three centre-halves. They could have gone with a back-three tonight - Marçal is on the bench, he played there for Lyon on the left-hand side."
Certainly this back four does not seem to be doing it.
At the other end, Traore gets off on one of his famous dribbles and is brought down by, I think, Ryan Bertrand. Or was it Vestergaard It all happens so fast with that guy!
08:33 PM
33 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Djenepo the net man to send Adams through down that inside right channel. Boly with a most timely intervention.
08:32 PM
32 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Really nice football from Southampton, here's Adams sliding it through. And here is Armstrong haring onto it and hitting it early, it whistles just wide with the keeper nowhere.
08:30 PM
30 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Good bustling run from Traore, he nicks it off Romeu and surges forward on a slalom run, gets his shot off but the keeper can watch that all the way into his arms.
08:27 PM
26 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Wolves have a freekick down the right,half cleared, played in again by Aït-Nouri and Boly gets up for a header but the ball is in the wrong place for his body, if you know what I mean, and he can muster no power on his headed effort.
08:24 PM
23 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Walker-Peters draws the foul and that gives an opportunity for dead ball king James WP to fire one in. Bit of a crowd scene in there and it hits Semedo in the tummy... brief thoughts of handball but our lord and master VAR VAR VAR says the wretch may be spared, on this occasion.
08:23 PM
21 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Jimenez is getting through a shift up front in the old gold, he is pressuring the Saints back line, one man wolf pack stylings.
08:20 PM
18 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Pretty enough stuff from both sides but it is all a bit skimmed milk.
08:15 PM
15 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Armstrong with a lovely little pass that sends Walcott through. Theo hits the target from a somewhat acute angle but the keeper is equal to it.
08:13 PM
12 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Jimenez and Traore get into a muddle and a promising position breaks down. Wolves don't quite seem themselves.
08:09 PM
9 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
After that flurry of Wolfish excitement, it's back to Saints, who are having much the better of the posession.
08:07 PM
6 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Brilliant double save! Moutinho hits it into the wall, Semedo smacks the loose ball and McCarthy saves. That in turns rebounds to Dendoncker. And he keeps that one out as well!
08:05 PM
5 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Wolves first break is Podence's run that is ended by a foul from Romeu. Freekick in a hand position.
08:03 PM
3 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Saints are at it. They have a corner, and from the play that flows from it, a good ball in again from Bertrand. Another corner. That one cleared.
Are Wolves struggling to settle with the unfamiliar back four?
08:02 PM
2 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
It's a good start for the Saints - handy cross in defeats Willy Boly, and Adams is a bit slow to react. That was a good chance, or at least a near-chance. Bertrand the guy who delivered the ball.
08:01 PM
1 mins: Wolves 0 Southampton 0
Little Theo Walcott the first to show, pinning back his ears and indeed his man bun and having a gallop at the Wolves back four. That's right, a back four.
08:01 PM
Kick off!
Saint in white.
07:56 PM
They are doing
quite the fancy light show at the empty ground, and here come the players.
A double header of football this Monday evening, we have had Burnley vs Crystal Palace and now we turn our attention to two attractive sides who seem to be going places.
Southampton head to Wolverhampton seeking a sixth win in seven matches to stay in touch with the early-season pacemakers in the Premier League. The south-coast club lost their first two matches of the campaign but have not been defeated since. Wolves are mid-table after a mixed start to the season.
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In Ward-Prowse, Southampton have one of the Premier League’s most devastating weapons. The win at Villa Park was built on the 26-year-old’s mastery of the dead ball, with his two goals and an assist providing reward for years spent cultivating a unique, and increasingly effective, approach to set-pieces.Since January 2016, Ward-Prowse has scored eight goals from direct free-kicks in the Premier League. No other player in the division has scored more than five in that time. Of the players who have taken more than 50 free-kicks at goal since 2003-04, Ward-Prowse has the best conversion rate. In simple terms, he is statistically one of the best free-kick takers the Premier League has seen.
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