Danny Ings comes back with a bang to spark Southampton revival against Crystal Palace

• Benteke gives visitors early lead before Forster saves Milivojevic's penalty

• Ings' double sandwich Adams' cute finish

Formally free of the grisly prospect of the Championship, it would have been understandable, if not necessarily forgivable, had Southampton and Crystal Palace had gone through the motions. Instead, with famine beckoning, they offered a feast which, from the moment Christian Benteke put Palace ahead to the one where Danny Ings sealed the deal for Southampton, never lacked intensity.

“We needed a target for the last games,” explained Ralph Hasenhuttl, the Southampton manager. “Even now we’re safe, I want to see a team fighting and we fought tonight.”

So well placed after defeating Liverpool in the first game of 2021, Southampton’s season petered out by the end of February, but they looked like the Southampton of the first half of the season against Palace. Hasenhuttl saw no need to tinker though and youngster Nathan Tella’s defenestration by the returning Danny Ings was the only change from Saturday’s defeat at Anfield. Ings’s performance was match-winning.

“We’re a different team with Danny,” acknowledged Hasenhuttl. “I want him to stay with us for as long as he wants, I’m convinced it will happen.”

Crystal Palace promised less than Southampton but, even now, have delivered more. There was, once again, careful consolidation. Like a not-especially-mad scientist, their manager Roy Hodgson similarly spurned the temptation to experiment after Saturday’s status-securing victory in Sheffield. For all that Southampton were aglow, Palace can consider themselves unfortunate.

“We’re not pleased with the result,” lamented Hodgson, whose contract expires in the summer and whose position remains unclear as Palace have noted Barnsley’s progress under former Palace player Valerian Ismael. “I shall let people know when the time is right, but not until I want to. Our raison d’etre was to make certain we’re still in this division. I take an awful lot of satisfaction from that.”

Two minutes in, whatever plans Hasenhuttl had were in jeopardy. Luka Milivojevic floated over a free kick. Scott Dann headed it back into the danger zone, where Benteke lurked, seemingly swamped by home defenders. Instead, Benteke hooked the ball over his head, bustled past a clutch of lamentable challenges and rattled an unstoppable finish past Fraser Forster. The Belgium international looked to the heavens and gave thanks for scoring in successive Premier League games for the first time since April 2017.

Palace sensed Southampton were there for the taking. They were not. James Ward-Prowse dropped back to assist his defence and his usual midfield sidekick Stuart Armstrong pushed forwards to bring vim to the attack and they were soon level. Jan Bednarek’s long ball found Nathan Redmond. He crossed into the danger zone, where Ings imperiously spun around Cheikhou Kouyate, brushed past Dann and shot handsomely past Vicente Guaita. Hasenhuttl's gleeful one-man incursion onto the pitch was hardly the act of a man who felt his team had nothing to play for.

Southampton did not relax and soon Guaita was called upon to make fingertip saves from Redmond and Che Adams. Palace were not without intent too and what had promised to be an end of season kickabout had transformed itself into something altogether more charged. Benteke, a pussycat for too many years, was leading the line like a lion again. Just before half-time they should have regained the lead when the hitherto and subsequently invisible Wilfried Zaha was upended in the box by Redmond.

Milivojevic’s penalty was firm and true, but Forster stretched every last inch of his six-foot-seven frame to tip aside and the teams went in level. They would not be level for long.

Three minutes after the restart, Southampton went ahead with a goal made at their Staplewood training base. With the penalty area crowded, Ward-Prowse rolled a low corner into the 'D'. Armstrong’s first-time strike was far from clean but it eluded the traffic in front of him. As it bobbled wide, Adams stuck out a foot to score from the tightest of angles.

Palace were on top when their resistance was finally extinguished. Kyle Walker-Peters played a neat ball infield to Ward-Prowse. The Southampton captain expertly found Adams who, spotted the onrushing Ings who guided home another lambent goal to conclude an exhilarating evening for him and for Southampton.

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09:09 PM

John Aizlewood's match report

Will be arriving from St Mary's in the next few minutes and will appear at the top of this blog.

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09:08 PM

Full time Southampton 3 Palace 1

Excellent comeback from Southampton after a slow start and Ings' double plus Forster's penalty save earned them a deserved victory. Palace desperately need a refresh, Saints back approaching something close to their best for the last 70 minutes.

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09:07 PM

90+2 min Southampton 3 Palace 1

Zaha is booted again as Saints players go through the roster, each allowed one bookable dig at him.

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09:04 PM

90 min Southampton 3 Palace 1

Redmond comes in from the left and thunders a 25-yard effort high, wide and hideous. He kicks the Hampshire air in frustration. There will be three minutes of last knockings.

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09:02 PM

89 min Southampton 3 Palace 1

Saints are managing the life out of the game.

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09:00 PM

87 min Southampton 3 Palace 1

Batshuayi cannot believe he is being penalised for a foul on Vestergaard. But he is.

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08:59 PM

85 min Southampton 3 Palace 1

All Southampton who continue to close Palace down with aggressive pressing.

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08:56 PM

83 min Southampton 3 Palace 1

Ward slides in front of Obafemi to turn Walker-Peters' cross behind.

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08:55 PM

81 min Southampton 3 Palace 1

Minamino crashes a left foot half-volley into Dann's feet and Ward-Prowse hits the rebound into the ground whence it skips up into Guaita's arms.

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08:52 PM

79 min Southampton 3 Palace 1

Third Palace substitution: Mateta comes on for Benteke.

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08:51 PM

78 min Southampton 3 Palace 1

Kouyate is booked for a ding-dong with Ward-Prowse that was basically some hand to chest shoving.

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08:51 PM

76 min Southampton 3 Palace 1

That was Ings final contribution: Obafemi replaces him.

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08:50 PM

75 min Southampton 3 Palace 1

Ings, who was about to be taken off, is set up by Adams lovely shimmy and dinked pass down the inside left. Ings made the diagonal run behind the centre-backs and rolled a toe-bonk into the bottom right corner.

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08:48 PM

GOOOOOAL!!

Southampton 3 Palace 1 (Ings)

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08:46 PM

72 min Southampton 2 Palace 1

Ayew departs and Batshuayi comes on.

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08:46 PM

70 min Southampton 2 Palace 1

Palace corner after Benteke's shot squirts wide and Southampton bundle it behind. Benteke was let down by the pass which lacked pace and allowed the defender to squeeze his range.

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08:44 PM

68 min Southampton 2 Palace 1

Eze is fouled by Walker-Peters as Palace struggle to make any inroads into the final third this past couple of minutes. Michy Batshuayi, a £40m player let us not forget, who scored the equaliser at Goodison with his first kick, is about to come on.

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08:41 PM

66 min Southampton 2 Palace 1

Very slick move down the left by Palace ends with Forster saving Schlupp's shot. No point of further elaboration as Benteke, in the build-up with the reverse pass round the corner, did so from an offside position.

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08:38 PM

64 min Southampton 2 Palace 1

Palace substitution: Schlupp on for Milivokevic who hands the armband to Dann.

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08:37 PM

62 min Southampton 2 Palace 1

Guaita gobbles down the corner.

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08:36 PM

60 min Southampton 2 Palace 1

Mistake from Stephens sets up a chance for Benteke after he fails to control Salisu's pass. Benteke's lack of pace allowed Stephens time to slide across and block his shot, sending it behind for a corner which begets another. Nothing dangerous comes off the encore. Saints break and will have a corner of their own.

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08:32 PM

57 min Southampton 2 Palace 1

Saints corner on the right after Dann blocks a cross. Stephens shoves Milivojevic, who almost does a somersault in his efforts to make the referee aware of it. Palace free-kick.

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08:29 PM

55 min Southampton 2 Palace 1

Milivojevic's free-kick hits the wall and Forster saves Ayew's follow-up effort with his feet.

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08:28 PM

53 min Southampton 2 Palace 1

Vestergaard is the latest to be booked for a Guardiolaesque foul on Zaha. The winger was running at him one-on-one, about to sprint past him into the box one-on-one so the centre-back trips him with a smile.

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08:25 PM

51 min Southampton 2 Palace 1

Palace go straight up the other end with Ayew down the right and he earns a corner in a duel with Stephens. Benteke wins the header but all he can do is throw his head at the scorching corner rather than directing it. It goes only a yard to Forster's right and he bats it away.

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08:23 PM

49 min Southampton 2 Palace 1

Corner routine, well executed. Ward-Prowse cuts the corner back to the edge of the area. Armstrong meets it on the run and shoots. The ball is arrowing out until Adams creeps in behind Kouyate to convert from the tightest of angles.

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08:21 PM

GOOOAL!!

Southampton 2 Palace 1 (Adams)

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08:21 PM

47 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

Ward-Prowse bounces the ball and then places it. Thirty yards out on the left. Ward heads the cross behind for a corner.

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08:20 PM

46 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

Salisu replaces the booked Bednarek. Milivojevic goes shin to shin with Armstrong. Bith are hurt but only Saints have a free-kick.

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08:08 PM

Half-time Southampton 1 Palace 1

Decent game. Both teams have problems at full-back, Redmond seems to have the beating of Ward and Stephens, a right-footed centre-half, looks vulnerable at left-back.

Benteke's goal is at the top of the page. Here's Ings' equaliser:

And Forster's penalty save:

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08:04 PM

45+2 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

He gets it over the wall but he pulls it a yard or so wide of the left post.

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08:03 PM

45 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

Free-kick for Southampton, 22 yards out dead straight. Ayew is booked for the foul on Redmond. 'Ward-Prowse territory' klaxon.

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08:01 PM

44 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

Saints see off the corner and counter which comes to naught then Palace punch back and Bednarek is cautioned for a trip on Zaha to thwart the break.

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07:59 PM

42 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

Milivojevic takes the pen. Forster, a massive unit, has done his homework and dives to his left to save comfortably. They're checking whether he had a foot on the line. He did. Palace corner.

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07:58 PM

Saved!!

Southampton 1 Palace 1

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07:57 PM

40 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

Palace are awarded a penalty when Zaha falls headlong in the box, widening his stance after he beat Minamino which bought the foul off Redmond. VAR will check. And agrees.

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07:55 PM

38 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

Vestergaard hits the deck as the cross comes in and appeals for a penalty. Nothing doing and Guaita makes amends with a catch.

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07:54 PM

37 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

Terrible punch from Guaita sets up a Southampton shot from the left of the box which Kouyate threw himself in front of and blocked it behind for a corner.

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07:53 PM

35 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

Ayew's tenacity earns him space down the right after winning a header Stephens was favourite for and then he cuts a pass back to Eze. The former QPR playmaker scoops a pass over the defence, looking for Riedewald's run but it wasn't accurate enough and Riedewald could only hang out a leg on the run and hope for the best. It didn't drop for him.

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07:49 PM

32 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

Palace surprise everyone by knocking the ball from the right down the inside-right rather than a booming diagonal, slipping in Ayew for the shot that Forster pushes behind.

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07:48 PM

30 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

Better from Palace this past two minutes and Mitchell's throw sends Zaha down the left. Minamino dives in and Zaha goes over. The free-kick is about three yards in from the byline. Eze takes and shoots, Forster punches it miles upfield.

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07:44 PM

28 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

From the corner Redmond feeds it to Adams in exactly the same position he was in on the left of the box and his shot also draws a good save from Guaita before Riedewald wellies it clear.

Saints totally in the ascendancy now.

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07:43 PM

27 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

Armstrong is picked out by Adams on the left of the box. He opens his body and wraps his rught foot around a shot, using Kouyate to keep the keeper unsighted. Guaita dives low to his left to turn it around the post.

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07:41 PM

25 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

Vestergaard goes for a 70-yard diagonal for Walker-Peters to chase but it's too close to Guaita's range and the keeper bounds out to gather.

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07:39 PM

23 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

Adams slides into a challenge on Kouyate who is hurt when he kicks Adams' foot.

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07:38 PM

21 min Southampton 1 Palace 1

Lovely first touch with his back to goal to spin Kouyate and shoot through Dann;s legs from about 12 yards. Redmond had played the ball in from the left after Ayew and Ward gave him too much space between them.

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07:36 PM

GOOOOOAL!

Southampton 1 Palace 1 (Ings)

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07:36 PM

19 min Southampton 0 Palace 1

Palace work the free-kick over to the right and keep probing with Ward, Ayew and Benteke but they can't do any more damage than float the ball into Forster's arms.

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07:35 PM

17 min Southampton 0 Palace 1

Benteke turns Bednarek on halfway and the centre-back pulls him back. Palace free-kick

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07:34 PM

14 min Southampton 0 Palace 1

Pala ce working hard to push Southampton backwards and kettle them 40 yards from goal. Saints, endlessly patient, keep resetting by rolling it back to the centre-halves.

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07:29 PM

12 min Southampton 0 Palace 1

Palace defend the first corner at the cost of another then clear the second one comfortably.

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07:29 PM

10 min Southampton 0 Palace 1

Palace quite happy now to press Armstrong and Ward-Prowse, keeping Southampton stuck in their own half until they spring Redmond down the left but Ings' return in the one-two is too heavy and Dann sweeps up. He wanted Guaita to come for it but the keeper didn't help him out and he runs it out of play.

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07:26 PM

8 min Southampton 0 Palace 1

Ward-Prowse sprays a 50-yard diagonal after being held around halfway by Palace congesting midfield. Walker-Peters jumps the gun, though, and is whistled/flagged/caught offside.

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07:23 PM

5 min Southampton 0 Palace 1

Ayew is penalised for a foul on halfway for tripping, I think inadvertently, Minamino in full flight. They knock it long for Redmond to chase down the right but put too much on the pass and it skips out for a goalkick. That's not Ward-Prowse at his designated kicker best.

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07:21 PM

3 min Southampton 0 Palace 1

Solo brilliance and some luck. Free-kick from the left to the right of the box, headed back across and Benteke just used his strength and skill to trap the knock-back on his chest, hook it over a sleeping Ings and then hod it down to set up a left-foot angled half-volley from about 10 yards, thumping it across goal and into the far corner.

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07:19 PM

GOOOOOAL!!

Southampton 0 Palace 1 (Benteke)

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07:18 PM

1 min Southampton 0 Palace 0

After most of the players take the knee, Palace kick-off. Saints in red and black with the white sash, Palace in white with two blue stripes and one red. Benteke flashes a shot immediately from 20 yards wide. He set himself up with a push to the right of the D and lashed it but couldn't get it bend back in and creep inside the right post.

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07:14 PM

Rare outing

In this very low-key match for one of the best co-comms around, Efan Ekoku.

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07:10 PM

Managers speak (briefly) RHx2

Hasenhuttl: "We have to take a few more points. It's important to see us fighting ane be a bit more clinical."

Hodgson: "We're confronted by a very good team. This is a game they're going hell for leather to win. If we manage to play as well as we did at the weekend we hope to cause them as many problems [as Sheffield United] then it's down to the rub of the green to see who [prevails] on the night.".

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06:55 PM

Manchester City have won the title

Following Leicester's victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. You can follow the latest here.

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06:28 PM

Your teams in black and white

Southampton Forster; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Vestergaard, Stephens; Minamino, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong, Redmond; Adams, Ings.
Substitutes McCarthy, Djenepo, Obafemi, Salisu, Tella, Diallo, Walcott, N'Lundulu, Ferry.

Crystal Palace Guaita; Ward, Kouyate, Dann, Mitchell; Riedewald, Milivojevic; Ayew, Eze, Zaha; Benteke.
Substitutes Butland, Van Aanholt, Townsend, Mateta, Schlupp, McCarthy, Batshuayi, Cahill, Kelly.

Referee Andrew Madley (Leeds)

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06:18 PM

And here's your Palace XI

COME ON YOU PALACE #CPFC | #SOUCRY

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) May 11, 2021

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06:17 PM

Contrary to my snout Ings does start

🔙 @IngsDanny 🙌

Here's how #SaintsFC line up to face #CPFC: pic.twitter.com/1RGSxcWJ8W

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) May 11, 2021

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06:08 PM

Good evening

Nothing much at stake anymore, following Fulham's defeat by Burnley yesterday which confirmed their fate as the third and final team to be relegated this season. Southampton, in 17th following their disastrous run in 2021 of three wins, two draws and 13 defeats from 18 games , would technically have still been vulnerable had Fulham managed to win but now they're safe. All that there is to play for is pride, place position prize money and making a strong case who might now be contemplating leaving that it's only a blip and the club's upward trajectory under Ralph Hasenhüttl will resume normal service in August.

Same goes for Palace, four points higher in 13th, plus making a convincing argument to Steve Parish to give Roy Hodgson another year when Palace fans might be looking for a different approach. I would say more entertaining but I know that boils Roy's sprouts and it's fair to say that since their promotion they have been at their most stable under the managership of pragmatists such as Tony Pulis, Sam Allardyce and Roy 'Warhammer' Hodgson. Sometimes, though, the people want more and some clubs - cough, Leeds United - are prospering with a more expansive strategy with players who cost no more than Palace's squad.

Takumi Minamino could not play against his parent club Liverpool on Sunday but returns today. Danny Ings has resumed training but he may have to wait until Saturday for a recall and, of the three long-term absentees, Oriel Romeu, Ryan Bertrand and Will Smallbone, solely Romeu has a slight chance of playing again this season.

Still no Mamadou Sakho, Connor Wickham or Nathan Ferguson for Palace. But better news on James Tomkins, out of action since the 4-0 defeat by Man City in mid-January. He has come through an Under-23 comeback game and is a possibility for tonight.

Join us for the team news at 7.15pm.