No clean sheet but plenty of positives for the Southampton defence
As the boos from the home supporters rang out following the full time whistle at the King Power stadium, the Southampton defence looked exhausted but rightly delighted with a show of resilience against the odds. With a numerical disadvantage following Valery’s second yellow card before half time, many would have backed Leicester to get something from the game.
Impressive performances from the defence, particularly from Vestergaard and Bednarek, showed that if Hasenhuttl hangs around for a couple of seasons, he could transform Saints into a strong defensive unit.
Polish international Bednarek is maturing into a classy centre back, willing to put his body on the line for the common cause and this was typified by a superb goal line clearance to keep Wes Morgan from scoring in a man of the match performance. With two tackles, twelve clearances and three vital blocks against the Leicester, the centre back is proving a real bargain having cost just £5 million in the summer of 2017.
Vestergaard has also turned his season around after some questionable performances earlier in the campaign. Under Hasenhuttl’s stewardship, he has curbed many of the careless mistakes which have plagued him to date and instead, looks more suited to the back three which has been deployed in recent weeks.