So’ton 1 – 1 West Ham

Declan Rice ended his Premier League goal drought in style but his fine equaliser could not inspire a comeback as West Ham played out an entertaining 1-1 draw with Southampton at St Mary’s.

Having not scored since a 4-1 victory away at Aston Villa on October 31 last year, Rice’s precise strike into the far corner (64) cancelled out Romain Perraud’s deflected first-half effort (20).

West Ham headed to the south coast on a four-match winning streak in all competitions and looked dangerous throughout but, despite their relentless pressure late on, David Moyes’ side could not find a winner.

An improved Southampton, who had lost four in a row and 15 of their previous 21 fixtures, deserved to lead at the break as they looked to ease some of the pressure on manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, but the stalemate means their wait for a first win since the end of August continues.

The result leaves Southampton in the relegation zone (18th), one point and position behind Wolves. West Ham move up to 11th and extend their unbeaten run to five games.

How makeshift Hammers were held by Saints

West Ham arrived at St Mary’s with only one fit centre-half after Craig Dawson and Kurt Zouma were ruled out, with Thilo Kehrer in a back three alongside full-backs Aaron Cresswell and Ben Johnson.

Their makeshift defence was in trouble when Che Adams muscled his way past Germany international Kehrer, who was indebted to Lukasz Fabianski saving with his foot.

Saints were almost caught out moments later thought when they lost the ball in midfield and Gianluca Scamacca, who impressed again for the visitors, curled narrowly wide from 30 yards.

It was the hosts who took the lead in the 20th minute but it was not without controversy. First, West Ham were annoyed that Walker-Peters appeared to step over the line when taking a throw-in and then felt aggrieved when referee Peter Bankes got in the way of Jarrod Bowen as he tried to prevent the ball from reaching Perraud, who drove forward before his low drive deflected in off Johnson.

West Ham tried to hit back as Scamacca fired a snapshot over before crossing for Lucas Paqueta, who should have done better with a free header which he planted wide.

Southampton lost centre-back Armel Bella-Kotchap to a dislocated shoulder in the build-up to that Paqueta chance after he slid in at the feet of Scamacca, but the home side continued to threaten going forward and another slick move saw Mohamed Elyounoussi’s low drive saved again by Fabianski.

After the break, Paqueta chased a ball over the top and was foiled by a last-ditch block from Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Scamacca just failed to divert a Bowen cross on target. Paqueta then forced Gavin Bazunu into his first notable save of the match from the edge of the area.

The equaliser was coming and it arrived in the 64th minute courtesy of the Hammers captain. Rice played a one-two with substitute Said Benrahma before bending a superb effort past Bazunu from the corner of the box.

Southampton manager Hasenhuttl sent on four substitutes in Stuart Armstrong, Sekou Mara, Samuel Edozie and Ibrahima Diallo as he looked to stem the tide of West Ham attacks.

The changes almost paid off but Diallo’s long-range shot flew narrowly over and Fabianski saved from Edozie. The result saw Southampton’s losing run come to an end but there were notable boos from the home fans when the final whistle was blown.

Hasenhuttl: One point is not enough

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl: “One point is not enough. When you are in the lead and you give it away, it obviously feels not so good. To be honest, in the second half, we had big problems in closing them down. We defended, I think, 20 set-pieces today against a very good set-piece team.

“We threw everything in but, footballing wise, in the second half, we could have played much better. First half was OK, but we sometimes need a second or third goal; the chances were there in the first half, definitely. But, again, no clean sheet; again, we concede one goal, but the pressure from the opponent in the second half was high.

“It [taking chances] would help us, definitely, but then it’s still a long way, in the Premier League, to win a game. We had to fight for this result and, in the end, I think a draw was OK for both teams from the way they played. It was not so easy then to stop them and we didn’t really have the lift from some counter-attacks from us. Especially after the equaliser, it was a little bit hectic.

“We have to go to Bournemouth [on Wednesday] and make it better and play like we have in the first half. Then, hopefully, with more clinical finishes and a clean sheet, this is the chance for us, against a good, in-form team, to hopefully take the three points.”

Moyes: A really poor day of officiating

West Ham manager David Moyes: “I think the referee was standing in the way of Jarrod Bowen receiving the ball [before Southampton’s opener]. You have to see the angles – and I hope they do – because it’s really bad that he doesn’t allow him to get the ball. Jarrod couldn’t get to it because of the referee’s position.

“I’m not happy with a point. We dominated the game and should have won more comfortably. We were the better team by a long way. We didn’t take the opportunities we should have done. We didn’t play well enough in the first half, but we deserved to win the game.

“I thought the team played well at times today. I know we gave away the goal, mainly because the referee stands in the way of the player to clear it or we wouldn’t have conceded. I hope they are going to look at the Tomas Soucek penalty kick. I hope they are going to have a real look at that because it was worse than the one we got last week. We had a really poor day of officiating once again, so I’m really disappointed.

“I think whoever did VAR today needs to have a right good look at himself, with his performance, if he doesn’t recognise that’s a penalty – I don’t know what else can be a penalty kick.

“The biggest thing for me are the performances. There are signs that bits of the performances are getting much better, which there were today, for long periods. There were some periods that didn’t. We’ve had to play the game today without any central defenders and that was always going to be a problem. Hopefully we can get some of them back fit and it will give us a better opportunity to win.”

Strange Southampton baffle again

Sky Sports’ Dan Sansom at St Mary’s:

You never know quite what to expect from Southampton. From an impressive win over Chelsea at the end of August to four defeats in a row, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side are probably the most up-and-down team in the Premier League.

Defeat against Manchester City last weekend was expected, but losses to Everton, Aston Villa and Wolves before that saw the Saints drop into the relegation zone ahead of Sunday’s Premier League fixtures.

They welcomed West Ham to the south coast having lost 11 of their previous 15 matches in the league. The Hammers had won their past four in all competitions.

Form might not have been on Southampton’s side but it is always foolish to write them off. It is even more foolish to write off Ralph Hasenhuttl.

They may have been clinging on to a point against the Hammers in the end, but the Saints delivered a first-half performance their manager can be proud of. Only one of their seven shots on target during the opening 45 minutes beat Fabianski, but the hosts showed they have the ability and desire to turn their fortunes around.

However, how much more time the Austrian is given to inspire a revival remains to be seen. There were further boos from some of the home supporters at the final whistle, but he will take some comfort in knowing he has survived worse moments since taking charge in 2018. Two 9-0 defeats spring to mind.

Scamacca key as West Ham find their groove

Sky Sports’ Dan Sansom at St Mary’s:

It might seem strange to praise a forward who went close to scoring on four occasions but finished the game without a goal.

However, it is worth mentioning the impact Gianluca Scamacca has made on West Ham in recent weeks. It is no coincidence their season has got back on track just as the striker is finding his feet at his new club.

Goals in recent wins over Wolves and Fulham in the Premier League highlighted why West Ham invested £35.5m to sign the 23-year-old in the summer. Despite failing to find the back of the net at St Mary’s, he showed again what an asset he can be for David Moyes.

He was a constant thorn in Southampton’s side and had the football gods been with him on Sunday, he could have easily scored a hat-trick.

Scamacca’s performances have helped West Ham move away from the relegation zone and he will be confident this is just the start of a successful career in the Premier League. The Italian is one to watch.

Fantasy Premier League stats

Opta stats: Another draw at St Mary’s

• Southampton are unbeaten in their last three Premier League meetings with West Ham (W1 D2) after failing to win their seven previous league matches against the Hammers (D1 L6).
• West Ham are unbeaten in their last five away Premier League matches against Southampton (W2 D3), while their last three visits to St Mary’s have ended in draws.
• West Ham are unbeaten in their last three Premier League matches (W2 D1) – the Hammers’ longest unbeaten streak in the league since February (a run of four).
• West Ham have failed to score in the first half in eight of their Premier League matches this season – no other team in the division has failed to do so on more occasions. The Hammers have scored two first-half league goals this term, which is the fewest of any side in the top flight.

What’s next?

Southampton are back in action on Wednesday when they travel along the south coast to the Vitality Stadium, where they take on Bournemouth (kick-off 7.30pm).

Saints then return to St Mary’s to host Arsenal on Sunday October 23 – live on Sky Sports (kick-off 2pm).

West Ham’s next game is on Wednesday, with David Moyes’ side heading to Anfield to take on Liverpool (kick-off 7.30pm).

The Hammers then return to the London Stadium to host Bournemouth on Monday Night Football on October 24 – live on Sky Sports (kick-off 8pm).