There came a point during the first half at the London Stadium last Saturday when the stewards could have been forgiven for identifying Mark Hughes as a person of interest. After all, if anyone seemed likely to stage a pitch invasion it was the Southampton coach, who could only have looked more furious if someone had crept up behind him, leant in and whispered “Marko Arnautovic”.
What an achievement it was for Southampton to make West Ham, a team held together by old bubblegum and in the grip of a bitter civil war between owners and supporters, look so robust in a vital relegation scrap. West Ham had worn a fixed grin at the start of the day, like a bickering couple straining to maintain pleasantries at a dinner party but with the tensions bubbling below the surface always apparent.
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Yet a talent drain lasting four years has taken a heavy toll, because only certain teams are allowed to have nice things
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