After
Southampton 3 Norwich 0
An early red card to Steve Whittaker was crucial in this match with Ronald Koeman’s team using its numerical advantage to grab all three goals. Pellè scored one in the first half before Dusan Tadić earned himself a brace in the second half.
The Canaries offered very little resistance after going a goal down and despite the scoreline the South Coast club really just did what was expected.
West Bromwich Albion 0 Southampton 0
This is was a game that would have put the neutrals and hard-core fans alike to sleep with very little happening of note. The game saw the debut of Virgil van Dijk, who made the away side’s defence look far more secure.
Southampton 2 Manchester United 3
Although the result was not positive, the play in this match was infinitely better than the round before. The home team pushed and pushed a very good United team and if not for some goalkeeping heroics from David de Gea this game could have ended very differently. A horror back-pass from Maya Yoshida to gift Anthony Martial his second was the only real dampener of the game.
MK Dons 0 Southampton 6
League Cup game in which the Saints dismantled their lower level opponents in a confidence booster.
Southampton 3 Swansea City 1
Another confident performance saw the St. Mary’s side come away victorious. Good play in defence and attack with plenty of creativity on top made the match a good watch for supporters. The only real incisive play from the Swans resulted in a penalty which Gylfi Sigurdsson converted.
Chelsea 1 Southampton 3
Although beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge doesn’t sound as daunting of a task as it might’ve in recent years, this was probably the Saints most impressive win of the season so far. A powerhouse performance from frontman Pellè saw the visitors deservedly come away with three points.
A disappointing result in the end given the two goal advantage held by the South Coast locals. The side fought well but impressive performances from two of the brightest in the Premier League right now in Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy saw the lead slip away.
It would seem from the stats and displays in the matches that Europa league commitments hindered Southampton’s Premier League play. Injuries in the squad may also have contributed but going forward it seems Koeman has almost every player at his disposal. The Europa League distraction is of course not unheard of – just look at Everton last season. Without Europe League commitments, the Saints can look to continue the form they demonstrated in 2014-15.
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