Southampton Imbang 2&2 Lawan Bristol City di St Marys

Southampton gagal melanjutkan tren kemenangan setelah ditahan imbang 2-2 oleh Bristol City dalam laga lanjutan Championship di Stadion St Mary's pada Selasa malam, 21 April 2026. Hasil ini menghentikan ambisi tuan rumah untuk mencatatkan sembilan kemenangan beruntun di akhir musim.

The Saints sempat tertinggal dua kali akibat gol bunuh diri Ryan Manning dan sundulan Sam Bell, namun berhasil menyamakan skor lewat aksi Cyle Larin dan Ross Stewart. Pertandingan ini diwarnai dengan absennya bek Jack Stephens yang mengalami masalah kaki saat pemanasan.

Manajer Southampton, Tonda Eckert, sebelumnya sempat mengimbau para pendukung untuk memadati stadion guna memberikan energi tambahan bagi para pemain. Ia berharap atmosfer pertandingan bisa menyerupai momen saat timnya mengalahkan Arsenal di perempat final Piala FA.

"I’m very much hoping that we get the stadium as full as possible," ujar Tonda Eckert, Manajer Southampton.

Pihak klub melaporkan bahwa antusiasme suporter cukup tinggi dengan terjualnya ratusan tiket menjelang sepak mula. Eckert menegaskan bahwa kehadiran penonton sangat krusial di tengah jadwal padat yang menguras fisik para pemainnya.

"We’ll do everything on the pitch to transmit that energy, and we are very much hoping for big, big support from the stands," kata Tonda Eckert, Manajer Southampton.

Meski hanya meraih satu poin, Southampton tetap menjaga peluang di zona play-off sambil memantau hasil pesaing lain seperti Millwall dan Ipswich. Eckert mengakui bahwa perjuangan timnya dalam beberapa bulan terakhir sangat berat bagi kondisi fisik skuad.

"I thought we created more clear-cut chances during the course of the 90 minutes, had a lot of the ball, and our passing through the midfield was really good. I've got to say, I'm very happy with a point, of course, but on another day, I think we might have had all three," tutur Roy Hodgson, Pelatih Interim Bristol City.

Di sisi lain, Roy Hodgson merasa puas dengan performa Bristol City yang dinilainya melampaui level permainan sebelumnya. Ia memuji kemampuan anak asuhnya dalam meredam dominasi tuan rumah sepanjang pertandingan berlangsung.

"I enjoyed watching it," ujar Roy Hodgson, Pelatih Interim Bristol City.

Hodgson menambahkan bahwa para pemain Bristol City menunjukkan konsistensi yang lebih baik dibandingkan laga melawan Norwich City. Ia secara khusus menyoroti keberanian timnya dalam membangun serangan dari lini tengah.

"I enjoyed watching our performance, and I think the players should be very proud of their performance because, really, a set-piece goal and then that wonderful little chip at the end, but for the bulk of the game I thought we kept them very much at arm's length," kata Roy Hodgson, Pelatih Interim Bristol City.

Pelatih kawakan tersebut juga memberikan pembelaan bagi Delano Burgzorg yang tampil impresif sebagai starter meski sering dikritik pendukung. Hodgson menilai performa Burgzorg menjadi jawaban atas keraguan banyak pihak terhadap kualitas sang pemain.

"I didn't think the performance against Norwich was bad at any moment, really," tambah Roy Hodgson, Pelatih Interim Bristol City.

Ia berharap momentum positif ini dapat dipertahankan hingga akhir musim kompetisi. Hodgson memimpikan performa serupa bisa ditunjukkan dalam dua pertandingan liga yang masih tersisa.

"The second half was less good than the first, which we'd actually played very well in and should have been 2-0 up at half-time, but it certainly was nothing like the performance today, which I think has excelled or surpassed anything we've been capable of doing up until now, and that's including the two victories," jelas Roy Hodgson, Pelatih Interim Bristol City.

Hodgson menegaskan bahwa sulit untuk melontarkan kritik kepada pemain mana pun setelah melihat perjuangan mereka di kandang Southampton. Baginya, hasil imbang ini terasa sangat berharga bagi perkembangan mental tim.

"For me, it was the best performance of my short time at the club, and I can only hope and dream that maybe they've got two more performances like that in them so we can get two more results in the last two games," lanjut Roy Hodgson, Pelatih Interim Bristol City.

Terkait kritik suporter terhadap pemain tertentu, Hodgson mengaku tidak paham dengan penilaian negatif yang selama ini beredar. Ia merasa Burgzorg telah memberikan pembuktian nyata di lapangan hijau.

"It's one of those games today where you'd be very hard-pushed to really criticise anybody," tegas Roy Hodgson, Pelatih Interim Bristol City.

Hodgson berharap publik lebih menghargai kontribusi pemain di lapangan tanpa prasangka dari masa lalu. Menurutnya, kerja keras pemain harus diapresiasi jika mereka tampil konsisten dalam pertandingan besar.

"And I think the one person - I don't like singling out players and there's many I could - but I've got to say, from the way Burgzorg has been recognised during his time at the club and the lack of respect the fans and everybody around the club has seen to show to him, I think he certainly made a few people today look back and think, 'What have we been missing here?' because his performance was outstanding," ungkap Roy Hodgson, Pelatih Interim Bristol City.

Hodgson menegaskan bahwa dirinya hanya menilai pemain berdasarkan apa yang ia lihat selama menjabat sebagai pelatih sementara. Ia tidak ingin terpengaruh oleh opini luar yang tidak berdasar pada realita pertandingan terkini.

"I don't know what the fans have seen before," imbuh Roy Hodgson, Pelatih Interim Bristol City.

Pelatih berusia 78 tahun itu menyerahkan penilaian akhir kepada para pendukung setelah menyaksikan laga imbang yang ketat tersebut. Ia beranggapan bahwa penilaian negatif selama ini mungkin tidak adil bagi sang penyerang.

"Maybe he's been nothing like that before. Maybe the fans have been correct in their judgment. I've got no idea," kata Roy Hodgson, Pelatih Interim Bristol City.

Hodgson mengakhiri pernyataannya dengan memberikan ucapan selamat kepada Burgzorg atas kegigihannya mempertahankan posisi di tim utama. Ia menilai sang pemain telah memanfaatkan kesempatan yang diberikan dengan sangat baik.

"But I've got to say, if that's the way he's been playing, then I would say the fans haven't been fair to him, and it must be very rewarding to him to get this chance, and it wasn't an easy chance to give him," ujar Roy Hodgson, Pelatih Interim Bristol City.

Perjuangan Burgzorg selama 90 menit penuh dianggap sebagai contoh profesionalisme yang tinggi di mata sang manajer interim. Ia melihat adanya tekad kuat dari pemain tersebut untuk terus berkontribusi bagi klub.

"He got the nod, and he really grabbed and got hold of that shirt as if he was never going to let it go, so congratulations to him," pungkas Roy Hodgson, Pelatih Interim Bristol City.