Southampton v Everton 05/03/97 7.30Southampton (0) 2 Everton (2) 2 FT Slater 59 Ferguson 11 Short 61 (og) Speed 27 Southampton showed all the fighting qualities of hardened relegation battlers as they clawed their way back from two goals behind to salvage an unlikely point in a 2-2 draw. This was football's ultimate cliche a game of two halves. Everton were coasting at half-time thanks to well-taken goals from Duncan Ferguson and Gary Speed. But the Saints, inspired by a half-time double substitution, recovered thanks to a Robbie Slater strike and an own-goal from Craig Short. Ferguson punished Southampton for some slack marking after just 11 minutes when he scored with a free header. Nick Barmby swung over a deep corner from the right and the big Scot was left unchallenged as he rose to meet the ball with a powerful downward header which bounced up and into the top corner of the net. It was Ferguson's ninth goal of the season, and showed why Aston Villa manager Brian Little has been linked with making a £7million bid for the 25-year-old international striker. Things went from bad to worse for Graeme Souness' team when Wales international Gary Speed increased Everton's lead after 27 minutes. Earl Barrett made a surging run down the right flank and played a low ball into the centre. Speed picked it up on the edge of the box and gave himself space to slot the ball under goalkeeper Maik Taylor. Yet Southampton almost made a dream start after six minutes when Matt Le Tissier was fouled by Barrett 30 yards out. Alan Neilson tapped a quick free kick short to his skipper and Le Tissier struck a typically stunning shot which crashed against the right-hand post with Neville Southall stranded, before bouncing to safety. But by the time the break came, Saints fans were recalling how their team were thrashed 7-1 at Goodison Park in the corresponding fixture in November and could not have imagined what lay ahead. Souness, himself one of the game's great fighters in his day, replaced Francis Benali with Slater, and Eyal Berkovic made way for striker Mike Evans to make his Premiership debut following his £500,000 move from Plymouth this week. The double-substitution had an amazing effect as Saints hauled themselves level with two goals in as many minutes. The first came after 59 minutes when Slater scored his first goal for Southampton. The Australia international exchanged passes with Egil Ostenstad in a neat build-up on the edge of the box and drilled the ball past Southall. Then after 61 minutes, Jason Dodd crossed from the right and Everton defender Craig Short headed the ball into the empty net as Southall came out to gather. 
Southampton: (4-4-2) Taylor, Dodd (Charlton, 70), Dryden, Lundekvam, Benali (Slater, 46), Van Gobbel, Magilton, Neilson, Le Tissier, Berkovic (Evans, 46), Ostenstad. Subs not used: Moss, Maddison. Everton: (4-4-2) Southall, Barrett, Phelan, Watson, Unsworth, Parkinson, Thomsen (Stuart, 74), Short, Barmby (Branch, 81), Ferguson, Speed. Subs not used: Rideout, Hottiger, Speare. Booked: Speed. Attendance: 15,134. Referee: P Durkin (Portland, Dorset). |
