Declan Rice ended his Premier League goal drought in style but his fine equaliser could not inspire a comeback as West Ham drew 1-1 with Southampton at St Mary’s.
Having not scored since a 4-1 victory away at Aston Villa on October 31 last year, Rice’s precise strike into the far corner (64) cancelled out Romain Perraud’s deflected first-half effort (20).
West Ham headed to the south coast on a four-match winning streak in all competitions and looked dangerous throughout but, despite their relentless pressure late on, David Moyes’ side could not find a winner.
An improved Southampton deserved to lead at the break as they looked to ease some of the pressure on manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, but the stalemate means their wait for a first win since the end of August continues.
The result leaves Southampton in the relegation zone (18th), one point and position behind Wolves. West Ham move up to 11th and extend their unbeaten run to five matches.
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How makeshift Hammers were held by Saints
West Ham arrived at St Mary’s with only one fit centre-half after Craig Dawson and Kurt Zouma were ruled out, with Thilo Kehrer in a back three alongside full-backs Aaron Cresswell and Ben Johnson.
Their makeshift defence was in trouble when Che Adams muscled his way past Germany international Kehrer, who was indebted to Lukasz Fabianski saving with his foot.
Saints were almost caught out moments later thought when they lost the ball in midfield and Gianluca Scamacca, who impressed again for the visitors, curled narrowly wide from 30 yards.
It was the hosts who took the lead in the 20th minute but it was not without controversy. First, West Ham were annoyed that Walker-Peters appeared to step over the line when taking a throw-in and then felt aggrieved when referee Peter Bankes got in the way of Jarrod Bowen as he tried to prevent the ball from reaching Perraud, who drove forward before his low drive deflected in off Johnson.
West Ham tried to hit back as Scamacca fired a snapshot over before crossing for Lucas Paqueta, who should have done better with a free header which he planted wide.
Southampton lost centre-back Armel Bella-Kotchap to a shoulder injury in the build-up to that Paqueta chance after he slid in at the feet of Scamacca, but the home side continued to threaten going forward and another slick move saw Mohamed Elyounoussi’s low drive saved again by Fabianski.
After the break, Paqueta chased a ball over the top and was foiled by a last-ditch block from Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Scamacca just failed to divert a Bowen cross on target. Paqueta then forced Gavin Bazunu into his first notable save of the match from the edge of the area.
The equaliser was coming and it arrived in the 64th minute courtesy of the Hammers captain. Rice played a one-two with substitute Said Benrahma before bending a superb effort past Bazunu from the corner of the box.
Southampton manager Hasenhuttl sent on four substitutes in Stuart Armstrong, Sekou Mara, Samuel Edozie and Ibrahima Diallo as he looked to stem the tide of West Ham attacks.
The changes almost paid off but Diallo’s long-range shot flew narrowly over and Fabianski saved from Edozie. The result saw Southampton’s losing run come to an end but there were notable boos from the home fans when the final whistle was blown.
Opta stats
Southampton are unbeaten in their last three Premier League meetings with West Ham (W1 D2) after failing to win their seven previous league matches against the Hammers (D1 L6).West Ham are unbeaten in their last five away Premier League matches against Southampton (W2 D3), while their last three visits to the St. Mary’s stadium have ended in draws.West Ham are unbeaten in their last three Premier League matches (W2 D1) – the Hammers longest unbeaten streak in the league since February (a run of four).West Ham have failed to score in the first half in eight of their Premier League matches this season – no other team in the division has failed to do so on more occasions. The Hammers have scored two first half league goals this term, which is the fewest of any side in the top-flight.Declan Rice’s equaliser was his first Premier League goal for West Ham since October 2021, while Southampton are the first team that he has scored against in the league on more than one occasion (2).Romain Perraud’s opening strike was his second goal for Southampton in all competitions since joining in 2021, with his other goal for the Saints also coming against West Ham in the FA Cup in March.
What’s next?
Southampton are back in action on Wednesday when they travel along the south coast to the Vitality Stadium, where they take on Bournemouth (kick-off 7.30pm).
Saints then return to St Mary’s to host Arsenal on Sunday October 23 – live on Sky Sports (kick-off 2pm).
West Ham’s next game is on Wednesday, with David Moyes’ side heading to Anfield to take on Liverpool (kick-off 7.30pm).
The Hammers then return to the London Stadium to host Bournemouth on Monday Night Football on October 24 – live on Sky Sports (kick-off 8pm).