Southampton 1-1 Huddersfield: Depoitre Equaliser Snatches Hard-Earned Point for Terriers

Saturday afternoon saw Southampton take on Huddersfield Town at St Mary's Stadium with the hosts still searching for their first win in five games. 

Virgil van Dijk was left out of the Saints squad, with fellow Dutchman Wesley Hoedt filling in the space at the back. In the opening minutes of the game it had looked like the away side were going to take advantage as Southampton were making poor defensive mistakes - with Maya Yoshida particularly culpable. 

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Charlie Austin ploughed a lone furrow up top as the Saints looked to batter their way back into the match, but he was denied by the backline of the away side time and again in the early goings. 

It wasn't until the 24th minute that the 28-year-old managed to make a breakthrough for the home side as he shot a point-blank range after a set piece was nodded into his path by Hoedt. 

After the opener, Southampton tried to push forward on the ball for the second goal but Huddersfield weren't giving up on the fight as they countered multiple times. Terriers goalkeeper Jonas Lossl proved to play an important role for the away side in the first half as he managed to recover from a vital mistake. 

In the 40th minute after his goal kick was blocked by Austin, Lossl was quick to retain the ball and prevent the Terriers from conceding again. The first half ended with the hosts leading but both sides looked to be strong in the attack. 

In the second half Huddersfield managed to apply immense pressure as Aaron Mooy pushed forward and attempted a shot on goal. The Saints were also trying to push with Nathan Redmond making runs up the flank, trying to find Austin but failing to convert any solid chances. 

In the 64th minute the Terriers managed to equalise through the expertise of Belgian forward Laurent Depoitre. A cross from Tommy Smith managed to find the forward, who nodded it into the net between Yoshida and Jack Stephens. 

In order to find their second goal, Southampton made impact substitutions in the form of Sofiane Boufal and Manolo Gabbiadini in order to bolster the attack. Though Southampton continued to press, Lossl continued to defend between the sticks right up until the final minutes of the game.

The away fans were in for a scare after a free kick was taken by James Ward-Prowse meeting the head of Yoshida but the ball hit the post.  The match ended in a draw as Southampton still search for a win after six games.