Saints manager Russell Martin admitted it was a “mistake” to have Cameron Archer take his first-ever penalty during their defeat to Manchester United.
Archer, 22, took his maiden Premier League spot-kick with the score tied at 0-0 but had his attempt saved by Red Devils goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Manchester United went on to secure a comfortable 3-0 victory at St Mary’s, with goals from Matthijs De Ligt, Marcus Rashford, and Alejandro Garnacho.
Adam Armstrong, Southampton’s usual penalty taker, was left on the bench, while Ben Brereton Diaz, who has scored seven career penalties, allowed Archer to step up.
When asked to explain the decision, Martin told the Daily Echo: “Well, Ben is quite a bit older than Cam in terms of his experience. We’ve had a discussion about it.”
Cameron Archer headed the rebound directly into the goalkeeper’s waiting hands (Image: Stuart Martin).
“Cam has been practicing a lot over the last two weeks during the international break, while Ben hasn’t. He’s been doing brilliantly with his practice.
“At some point, as a number nine, he’ll want to take penalties, and he felt confident in stepping up this time, with Ben agreeing to let him take it.
“If he scores, he’s up and running, but since he missed, it’s naturally going to raise questions,” Martin said in his post-match press conference, where he addressed several topics. “It’s on me for the decision we made, and unfortunately, it was the wrong one.”
Talented youngster Tyler Dibling won the penalty for Southampton in the 31st minute after beating Diogo Dalot, who fouled him.
Archer’s penalty was delayed as VAR checked whether the contact was inside the box, which Martin suggested could have disrupted Archer’s focus.
“VAR had to determine if it was inside or outside the box, but after one look on the iPad, I could tell it was inside,” said Martin. “It’s just part of the game now. Cam might say that was a reason for missing, but we’ve got to move on.”
When asked if Archer would take the next penalty, Martin replied, “I don’t think Ben would be happy with that now, as he might want it. We’ll see if Cam is on the pitch, and we’ll talk about it. I actually think Cam played really well, so it’s disappointing for him.
“In the teams I played for, if you missed, someone else would take the next one – unless it was Grant Holt or Wes Hoolahan, who always got their way.
“But generally, if Adam Armstrong is on the pitch, he’ll take it. He’s our designated penalty taker.”
Be the first to comment