IPSWICH, England, Feb 1 (Reuters) – Southampton ended their miserable season with a crucial 2-1 victory at fellow relegation battlers Ipswich Town, securing their second Premier League win after Paul Onuachu netted late.
Both teams, desperate for points in their fight against relegation, saw Southampton strike first when Joe Aribo’s shot trickled past Ipswich goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and into the net. The home fans, who had witnessed only one league win at Portman Road all season, didn’t have to wait long for an equalizer, as top scorer Liam Delap calmly finished on the half-hour mark.
Ipswich squandered several opportunities to take the lead and were punished for their profligacy when Onuachu’s goal in the 87th minute allowed Southampton to reduce the gap to the safety zone to eight points, with Ipswich now seven points ahead in 19th place.
This marked a first victory for Southampton manager Ivan Juric, who took charge on December 21. “I’m really delighted, truly happy for the players and our supporters – they are incredible, and everyone is very happy today,” he said. “Maybe we suffered a bit more today, but we showed character with the ball and secured the win.”
