West Brom 2-3 Southampton: Three match takeaways

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WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 03: Mario Lemina of Southampton scores his sides first goal 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’s masterclass

After the draw against Brighton that saw the Gabonese international watching from the sub’s bench, Lemina posted an ambigious, and since deleted tweet which appeared to express his distaste at his lack of playing time.

The 24-year-old’s form may of dipped over the festive period, but with injuries and a tough run of games it’s easy to forget how good he was at the start of the campaign.

Yesterday’s performance was another masterclass from the former-Juventus man, who completed over 90% of his passes, was solid on defence, and scored his first goal for the club at the other end.

As noted in this game’s edition of ‘three key players‘, Lemina also deserves praise for getting the ball back to the center-circle ready for the restart, rather than celebrating like most would after a 20-yard strike.

The maturity and leadership qualities shown through this simple act deserve as much praise as the emphatic effort that drew the side level.