Southampton booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup but only after a hugely disappointing replay against Norwich City.
Southampton fans have taken to Twitter to express their gratitude to Shane Long and to make a plea to Claude Puel following their FA Cup third round replay victory over Norwich City on Wednesday.
The Saints set up a tie against Arsenal in the fourth round after Long scored in stoppage-time at the end of the second-half to send the south coast side through at the expense of the Championship outfit.
Southampton’s Shane Long scores the only goal
While a 1-0 scoreline can often come after an exhilarating contest, this replay will probably not live long in the memory amongst the 13,517 supporters who were inside St Mary’s.
The Canaries failed to register a shot on target throughout the game and did not earn one corner either. Meanwhile, Southampton’s main issue was perhaps perfectly highlighted by the fact that they registered 10 shots on target – 19 attempts in total – but only managed to put the ball past Michael McGovern on one occasion.
In fact, Southampton have not scored two in a single home fixture since beating Inter Milan in the Europa League at the start of November.
Southampton manager Claude Puel
After the game, the Southampton fans took to social media to discuss the disappointing tie. While some were keen to celebrate the fact that they have reached the fourth round, there was a hint of negativity amongst supporters.
Many thanked Long for ensuring that they would not have to sit through extra-time, and perhaps penalties, while others were left imploring Puel to target a new striker during the remaining days of the window.
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