West Ham United goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen kept Southampton at bay with a series of fine saves as the teams played out a 0-0 draw in the Premier League on Sunday.
Neither side could get the upper hand at a windswept St Mary’s, but it was Southampton who created the better chances.
West Ham dominated possession in the early stages, but were lucky not to concede when Pablo Daniel Osvaldo’s side-footed shot from Jay Rodriguez’s cross was brilliantly saved by Jaaskelainen in the 10th minute.
Photo: AFP
West Ham responded through Mohamed Diame’s long-range shot that flew just over the top-left corner in the 20th minute.
Diame was then booked for a trip on Adam Lallana, then found himself at the receiving end of a dangerous tackle from Morgan Schneiderlin that was left unpunished by the referee.
Ravel Morrison, who was handed his first Premier League start after replacing the injured Stewart Downing in Sam Allardyce’s team, then curled a right-footed shot from outside the area over the bar five minutes before halftime.
The 38-year-old Jaaskelainen proved decisive again in the 49th minute when he tipped the ball out for a corner from Victor Wanyama’s volley. The Finnish goalkeeper then made a stunning one-handed diving save to parry Morgan Schneiderlin’s volley in the 67th minute.
Even in-form England striker Rickie Lambert, who hit the post with a header early in the second half, could not beat Jaaskelainen as his right-footed strike was also denied six minutes later.
“We’re creating chances and we just have to start putting them away,” Jaaskelainen said. “We get one goal and that confidence will come, but I’m happy to keep clean sheets.”
West Ham wasted the best chance of the match with six minutes to go when Mark Noble served up a fine cross in the area for James Collins, only for the defender to drag his shot over the crossbar.
“We could have won it at the end when Ginge [James Collins] had his chance, that was the best chance of game,” Allardyce said. “It was a bit unlucky that it fell to our centerhalf, but from that far out he should hit target. Overall, it was a decent performance. Defensively, we showed how good we are, but we can’t hit the back of the net. That’s my concern at the moment.”
Both teams now have five points from four games, four less than league leaders Arsenal, who are level on points with Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool had the chance to reclaim top spot and maintain their 100 percent record in the league with a win at Swansea City yesterday.
A seven-year-old horse had to be euthanized on Friday after breaking its back on the final fence of a Grand National steeplechase race that it won despite sustaining the serious injury. It follows the death of four horses at the Cheltenham Festival last month — including one after the prestigious Gold Cup. Gold Dancer was competing in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase during Ladies Day at Aintree’s Grand National Festival. The horse managed to cross the finish line approximately four lengths ahead of runner-up Regent’s Stroll. “The winner of our second race of the day, Gold Dancer, was pulled up after
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
The Daredevils yesterday took eight catches in the final as they eked out a victory in the Taiwan Cricket Triangular Tournament against PCCT at Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District. PCCT’s batting lineup collapsed after they asked the Daredevils to bowl in the T20 decider of the weekend tournament that also involved the Formosa Cricket Club. PCCT were bundled out for 76 in 16.2 overs against a disciplined Daredevils attack. Ninad Malwade was the top scorer in the innings with 21, but he was among those who offered chances to the fielders. Shane Ferreira and Jason Cameron took three wickets each, with
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
RSS