SOUTHAMPTON 2 CITY 1
League Division 1
26th December 1990
Attendance 16,029
scorers
City Quinn(36)
Southampton Horne(39), Le Tissier(80)
Ref Paul Durkin
City Coton, Brightwell, Pointon, Reid, Hendry, Redmond, White, Clarke, Quinn, Megson, Ward – Subs Harper(70), Hill(unused)
Southampton Flowers, Moore, Ruddock, Adams, Dodd, Cockerill, Horne, McLoughlin, Le Tissier, Shearer, Wallace – Subs Banger(79)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
PETER GARDNER WRITING IN THE MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS 27TH DECEMBER 1990
Manchester City were punished severely for two schoolboy howlers.
Southampton exposed defensive frailties that sent the Blues crumbling to a second successive defeat.
And the pointless Christmas could be followed by an even bleaker New Year if recent lessons go unheeded.
Crystal Palace put City on the slide last Saturday and they skidded further out of top-six contention at the Dell yesterday.
… The Saints just about short-headed City’s sinners in an appalling untidy and scrappy match. The contest was played out in gale-force conditions.
Yet it was the same for both sides and City can have no excuse for failing on that score.
In addition to continually committing nightmare errors at the back, the Blues have no-one who appears remotely capable of scoring, apart from the industrious Quinn.
Wayne Clarke came in for his first full game of the season in place of sick-listed Adrian Heath, but contributed absolutely nothing until he was substituted. 20 minutes from the end.
David White, too, is enjoying a period of utter frustration, with his only significant effort the splendid quality cross from which Quinn gave The sorry Blues a 36th minute lead with his eighth goal of the season.
That advantage was short-lived with City recklessly trying to play offside, Barry Horne was allowed to cut in from the right to beat Tony Coton with a fine angled effort.
Two goals in three minutes highlighted a dire first half and the second was not much better, Coton rescued City with some fine saves, although it was Colin Hendry who emerged City’s, most consistent performer.
Yet even he saw the ball skid off his head, leaving Steve Redmond and Neil Pointon to become hopelessly mixed up. That left, Matt Le Tissier time and space to score at ease, providing Southampton with their first League win in almost two months.
City’s painful habit of causing self-inflicted wounds could ultimately cost them dearly.
Reid, who again led, by example, claims: “we seem to be beating ourselves by constantly giving away silly goals.”
Ian Brightwell handled Rod Wallace well enough, but there were few genuine successes in what was, overall, a team failure on the day.
Southampton were there for the taking as other home sides have been this season. But the blues have neither the punch nor the power to make that vital breakthrough away from home. Until they do, a few more painful lessons are due to be handed out.