Southampton 1-0 West Bromwich Albion: Four match takeaways

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SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 21: Sofiane Boufal of Southampton breaks through on his way to score his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Southampton and West Bromwich Albion at St Mary’s Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images) /

Boufal’s impact

There have been times this season when Boufal has been nowhere near Pellegrino’s first team. Aside from his start in the 2-0 defeat to Watford last month, he has only featured as a second half substitute.

Yesterday was no different. When the manager sent him on with nine minutes remaining, it was with the hope that he could make a late impact.

But where he has failed to affect the outcomes of previous matches, today he showed a moment of class to bring home the three points. If there is somehow a Saints fan who hasn’t seen his goal of the season contender yet, check it out here!

Following the goal, he very nearly followed up with an injury time assist. Boufal stayed on his feet following a foul, then played the advantage to lay a weighted pass through to Charlie Austin. Even though the subsequent strike hit the outside of the post, Boufal showed determination, vision and poise to create the chance.

The only negative about him being universally named man of the match after 13 minutes of play was that it highlighted the lack of standout performances across the rest of the team.

Boufal’s reaction to the manager following the goal clearly showed he wants to be picked more often, but he needs more than very occasional magic to earn that. At the moment both he and Nathan Redmond look to be best employed as impact players from the bench.