Working from home has become the norm for many this year but for Ralph Hasenhüttl, an animated character in the most straightforward of games, this will have proved a trying exercise. Taking charge of Southampton remotely after a member of his household tested positive for coronavirus, the Saints manager presumably spent much of this game kicking his heels and banging the arm-rest in frustration after his side crept to a point against West Ham.
A dull stalemate was not how either side wished to round off 2020 but a testing year has harvested largely positive results for Southampton, who have won more points in that period than every Premier League side barring Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea. That may be a meaningless feat but it does underline the progress under Hasenhüttl.