Stoke City 2-1 Southampton: Three key players

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STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 30: Maya Yoshida (2nd R) of Southampton celebrates scoring his side’s first goal with his team mates during the Premier League match between Stoke City and Southampton at Bet365 Stadium on September 30, 2017 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) /

Southampton took on Stoke City on Saturday afternoon, looking to build on a positive display from the previous week. However they fell short in a 2-1 away loss.

With the return of Virgil van Dijk to the first team, many fans would’ve been optimistic about Saints’ chances at Stoke. With a somewhat late acrobat strike from fill-in captain Maya Yoshida, the chances of a fair result looked highly-possible.

However, Southampton were unable to salvage a point at the Bet365 stadium. Being haunted in the 85th minute by former striker Peter Crouch, to the displeasure of many.

Southampton enjoyed much more of the ball during the game, but did not convert this into chances. Many fans venting their frustrations with this via social media. The final five minutes saw an array on chances created with lack of end product, a common problem for the Saints this season thus far.

Despite that, there were a few key players that made their mark on the game. So who were they?