SOUTHAMPTON, England (Reuters) – Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuettl criticised goalkeeper Alex McCarthy for not informing him that he was carrying a hamstring injury towards the end of their 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion, with their south-coast rivals equalising in added time.
Armando Broja gave Southampton the lead in the 29th minute with a well-taken strike but Brighton snatched a point when Neal Maupay scored in the 98th minute in Saturday’s Premier League game at St Mary’s Stadium.
Brighton were forced to play the final 10 minutes with 10 players after Leandro Trossard was carried off the pitch due to an arm injury, with the team having used all their substitutes.
Ten minutes of stoppage time was added after that incident and Hasenhuettl said Southampton struggled during the additional time as their winless league run stretched to four games.
“Alex must definitely be more professional and this is what I missed today,” he said. “This is something we cannot accept.
“I still had one change in hand and I can change the goalkeeper if necessary. It is the reason we have a goalkeeper on the bench. If he’s not able to jump, we should change him.
“We have to learn from this and in the future be more honest.”
The draw meant Brighton have not won in 10 Premier League matches, their longest run without a victory in the top-flight since a 10-game stretch between December 1982 and February 1983.
But manager Graham Potter said he was happy with the team’s spirit against Southampton.
“We weren’t at our best at all. It was a really scrappy game,” he told reporters. “We pushed and pushed, and it was fantastic for Neal Maupay to get the goal.
“Stuff has happened with injuries and the guys have had to adjust and reset. The character of the team is fantastic.”
Southampton moved up to 14th in the standings on 16 points from 15 matches, while Brighton stayed ninth on 20 points.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
