SOUTHAMPTON, England (AP) - Danny Ings pounced on a defensive error to score for the eighth time in his last nine games and salvage a 1-1 draw for Southampton at home to Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday.
The former Liverpool striker, whose 12 goals for the season make him tied for second place in the scoring charts behind Leicester’s Jamie Vardy, capitalized on a stray pass by Palace right back Martin Kelly and bore down in goal before slotting his finish into the bottom corner in the 74th minute.
That canceled out a headed goal by Palace center back James Tomkins in the 50th, from a free kick by Luka Milivojevic.
Ings, who joined from Liverpool in the offseason of 2018, is almost single-handedly keeping Southampton out of the relegation zone in his most prolific season in years.
“It’s because of a lot of hard work,” said Ings, who appears to have overcome injury problems that affected him in recent seasons. “I graft every day to be the best that I can. I try and look out for defensive mistakes and I’ve scored quite a few goals from that this season.
“I’m here, I’m enjoying my football again. I’m at a club where I feel like I’m loved by the fans and club.”
Southampton is 15th in the 20-team league, four points above the bottom three.
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