August Priske scored his first Championship goal of the season to earn Birmingham City a 1-1 draw against Southampton at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park. Keven Schlotterbeck had opened the scoring for the visitors with a first-half header, but Priske levelled shortly after the interval with a glancing header from a Patrick Roberts cross.
First-Half Chances and Southampton's Opener
Southampton created the game's first opportunity through Finn Azaz. The Saints' number 10 turned in midfield and slipped a ball down the side of Christoph Klarer for Cyle Larin to latch onto. With the angle tightening, Larin couldn't beat James Beadle with a powerful shot.
An error from Saints defender Schlotterbeck handed Jay Stansfield the first of two gilt-edged chances in the space of five minutes and the ascendancy to Blues. Schlotterbeck's slip allowed Stansfield a clean run at goal and the striker smashed a shot against the foot of the post under pressure from the recovering centre-back.
Brilliant play from Alex Cochrane created an even better chance for Stansfield. The left-back retrieved the ball on the byline with a strong challenge before clipping a cross onto Stansfield's head that was directed wide from six yards. Blues fashioned another chance when Jhon Solis regained possession in the centre circle and drove up the pitch. The Colombian reached the edge of Southampton's box before lashing a shot a few inches wide of goal.
Larin missed an even better chance when he was found unmarked inside Blues' box midway through the first half. Saints' number nine seemed uneasy on his left side and lifted the ball over the bar.
Priske's Equaliser and Second-Half Action
Southampton came out on top of an end-to-end first half when Leo Scienza delivered a right-wing corner to the near post for Schlotterbeck to powerfully head home. Blues were frustrated that the corner was allowed to be taken after the allotted two minutes of additional time but that didn't halt Southampton's celebrations.
The response arrived within 10 minutes of the restart and it came via the wing wizardry of Patrick Roberts. Roberts, who was starting his first game since early April, produced a pinpoint delivery from the right that Priske glanced into the far corner.
Beadle could only parry a deflected shot from Southampton substitute James Ward-Prowse into the path of Larin but the striker let Blues off the hook for a third time by prodding wide. Boosted by his first league goal of the season, Priske turned on the ball at the edge of the box and whipped a shot just over the crossbar that had Daniel Peretz scrambling.
Phil Neumann was Blues' hero at Wrexham on Friday night and he connected with Demarai Gray's deep free-kick late on but couldn't beat the goalkeeper this time. That would be the last chance of note in an entertaining game of football that neither team deserved to win in truth.
Player Ratings
James Beadle 6 – There were a couple of unorthodox saves and miskicks that went unpunished by Southampton on a night where Beadle didn't look as comfortable as in previous games.
Bright Osayi-Samuel 8 – Fist-pumped The Tilton after seeing off Scienza with an excellent piece of defending. It wasn't completely plain sailing against the Southampton wideman but Osayi-Samuel gave as good as he got.
Phil Neumann 8 – There was a fantastic block from Azaz towards the end that prevented a certain goal. It was an uncomfortable evening for Neumann and Klarer against Larin at times, but they performed well enough and won't face many tougher tests.
Christoph Klarer 8 – Klarer put in a wholehearted, committed display that the crowd loved. He threw himself into challenges and came out on the right side more often than not.
Alex Cochrane 8 – Cochrane continued his fine start to the season with a solid defensive showing against Tom Fellows. The left-back created a great chance for Stansfield in the first half with a magnificent challenge and cross that was begging to be buried.
Tomoki Iwata 7 – Iwata seemed to be everywhere in midfield, buzzing around and refusing to give Southampton's passers time to settle. He could have been cuter on the ball at times.
Jhon Solis 7 – Solis wasn't at his best in possession but he is so effective off the ball that Blues wouldn't function without him now.
Patrick Roberts 8 – Roberts played well on his return to the starting XI. He created the equaliser for Priske with an excellent cross and was a constant thorn in the side of Ryan Manning. The little winger should have done better with a shot that was easily saved by Peretz after a slalom infield.
Jay Stansfield 7 – For the second game running, Stansfield was a bundle of energy behind Priske – but he should have scored. He was unfortunate to hit the post with the first chance but Stansfield lacked conviction on the header from close range.
Carlos Vicente 7 – Vicente offered up an improvement on recent showings at St Andrew's and was full of running on the left. You still feel as though Blues need a bit more from the Spaniard, but the same can be said for others in their attack.
August Priske 9 – There was so much to like about Priske's performance. One chest into Roberts in the first half demonstrated his improving hold-up play, a sprint in behind to a nothing ball from Stansfield displayed his athleticism, and a cute header showed his goal-scoring capabilities. The Dane is getting better.
Substitutes
Demarai Gray (for Roberts, 70) 6 – Wanted to be involved despite carrying a knock and produced one cross that Neumann headed at Peretz.
Ethan Laird (for Vicente, 86) N/A
Paik Seung-ho (for Stansfield, 86) N/A
Luis Vazquez (for Priske, 86) N/A
Not used: Allsop, Fry, Lund, Fujimoto, Ducksch.
