Sport

Delap and Dublin sent off

Fine entertainment this might have been for the viewers at home, but Southampton's manager Stuart Gray will care little for that…

By JON BRODKIN
Tue Sept 25 2001 - 01:00

Fine entertainment this might have been for the viewers at home, but Southampton's manager Stuart Gray will care little for that. His side remain bottom of the Premiership after an enthralling match that saw both sides reduced to 10 men early in the second half.

Rory Delap and, more controversially, Dion Dublin saw red when Villa were already 2-1 up and a breakaway 79th-minute header by Mustapha Hadji from Lee Hendrie's cross moved Villa up to fifth and underlined the need for Gray to replace Dean Richards.

Villa surged into a two-goal lead inside 15 minutes. Villa's slickness and speed on the counter-attack was too much for Southampton, and Juan Pablo Angel, the Colombian who struggled to settle into English football last season, was at the centre of both goals.

It was his surging run past Richards' replacement, Tahar el Khalej, that created the first on nine minutes. As Southampton appealed for a free-kick, Angel crossed for Dion Dublin, whose neat lay-off enabled George Boateng to score. Within minutes Angel had his third goal in two games, slotting in Dublin's pass after fine one-touch play involving Lee Hendrie.

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Villa then missed some easy chances to wrap up victory and the home side took advantage when Marian Pahars was allowed to head in Southampton's first goal at their new ground, the st£32 million St Mary's Stadium, from a James Beattie cross.

An eventful game became even more gripping with two red cards inside five minutes. Delap went when, as the last defender, he sent Kachloul sprawling as the Moroccan ran on goal. Then Dublin was off at the say-so of a referee's assistant after an off-the-ball incident involving El Khalej.

SOUTHAMPTON: Jones, Delap, Bridge, Lundekvam, El Khalej, Oakley, Svensson, Pahars (Le Tissier 78), Tessem (Benali 66), Davies (McDonald 77), Beattie. Subs Not Used: Moss, Marsden. Sent Off: Delap (52). Goal: Pahars 45.

ASTON VILLA: Schmeichel, Delaney, Wright, Mellberg, Alpay, Boateng, Hadji, Hendrie (Stone 87), Kachloul (Staunton 68), Angel (Balaban 74), Dublin. Subs Not Used: Enckelman, Ginola.Sent Off: Dublin (57). Booked: Hendrie, Kachloul. Goals: Boateng 9, Angel 15, Hadji 79.

Referee: S Dunn (Bristol).