A clinical five-goal performance saw Southampton FC Women overcome a resilient Sheffield United 5-2 on Friday, 3rd of April, as a frantic final ten minutes at the Silverlake Stadium secured a dramatic victory.
The match kicked off and the Saints were forced to dig deep after an early setback. Despite a dominant finish, the afternoon began poorly for Simon Parker’s side when the Southern Yorkshire side took the lead after just 12 minutes. The Blades’ top scorer, Amy Andrews, found space on the edge of the area and drilled a low shot into the bottom corner.
Southampton struggled to find any rhythm in the opening 30 minutes, but the the game changed following a serious clash of heads. Southampton captain Amy Goddard was forced off, later seen with a heavy bandage on her head to stop the bleeding, and the resulting ten-minute delay allowed the Saints to orchestrate a tactical reset.
The impact was instantaneous. In the 40th minute, Jess Simpson poked home from a Tara Bourne corner to level the scores. Just four minutes later, the turnaround was complete. Michaela McAlonie pounced on a loose ball following a high press from Aimee Palmer to power a strike past Sian Rogers.
Sheffield United refused to go quietly and drew level in the 65th minute. A handball in the area by Bourne gifted Andrews a chance from the penalty spot, which she dispatched clinically for her second of the afternoon.
However, the Saints caught a second win which decided the contest. In the 86th minute, Mary Bashford showed immense desire to bundle the ball over the line from close range. A minute later, the Blades were reduced to ten players when Jess Reavill received a straight red card for hauling down Maria Edwards. Aimee Palmer stepped up to the resulting free-kick, curling a magnificent effort into the top corner to make it four.
The gloss was added in the sixth minute of stoppage time when Bashford reacted quickest to a loose ball in the box, firing into the top right corner to complete her brace.
This was a performance that defined Southampton’s season starting slowly but finishing with an irresistible surge of energy. The tactical shift following Amy Goddard’s injury proved to be the masterstroke while losing a captain is rarely a positive, the break in play allowed Simon Parker to demand more vigour from his midfield.
The Saints’ bench also played a crucial role, with Maria Edwards and Rachel Brown providing fresh legs when the game sat on a knife-edge at 2-2. With 14 goals scored in their last three outings, Southampton are proving to be the division’s most dangerous late game specialists.
For 80 minutes, Sheffield United looked every bit the side that had earned their survival. Amy Andrews continues to be one of the most clinical outlets in the league, and her double took her season tally to new heights of eight.
However, the late collapse will be a concern for the management. The red card for Reavill was the final nail in the coffin, but the way the Blades struggled to deal with set-pieces and the Saints’ high press in the dying embers suggests there is still work to be done. Despite the heavy scoreline, they can take comfort in the fact that their survival was mathematically confirmed elsewhere, but they will want to erase the memory of those final ten minutes quickly.
