West Brom 2-3 Southampton: Three key players

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WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 03: Mario Lemina of Southampton scores during the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Southampton at The Hawthorns on February 3, 2018 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Lynne Cameron/Getty Images) /

Mario Lemina

Whilst these lists are never done in a particular order, it seems unfair to include anyone other than Mario Lemina first. The Gabonese international was superb yesterday,

Working as part of a midfield duo alongside Spaniard Oriol Romeu, Lemina was up and down the pitch and completed over 90% of his attempted passes. He also grabbed his first goal for the Saints, which was arguably the side’s second-best goal of the campaign behind Sofiane Boufal’s in this game’s reverse fixture.

But it was the midfielder’s reaction to scoring that drew more plaudits from Southampton fans, as rather than celebrating an emphatic finish, the 24-year-old chose to rally the troops and push for the lead – they went in front just three minutes later.

Lemina has received some criticism for poor performances over the festive period and has been in and out of the first team as a result, but his shift yesterday has surely made him indispensable.