Southampton 2-2 Derby (3-5 pens): FA Cup – Three Match Takeaways
By Joe Mcindoe
The jury is still out on Mohamed Elyounoussi – but the evidence doesn’t look good
Mohamed Elyounoussi’s Southampton CV thus far has been something akin to a vanilla ice cream smothered in vanilla sauce. Not a bad experience, but not a very memorable one either.
The night’s action saw the Norwegian’s best performance in a red and white shirt. Then again it really isn’t a high bar to match. The summer signing dinked a lovely cross for Southampton’s first, and could have won it late in extra time as he slid in and just failed to convert an inviting ball coming across the box.
He also found plenty of space out on the wing. The performance merits a passing grade for a FA cup third round replay against a strong championship side. Regrettably, Elyounoussi’s efforts still don’t feel of the quality required of a Premier League player.
The number 11 never truly managed to impose himself on the lower league opponent. Aside from a few impressive moments his good positioning didn’t translate into much.
The penalty miss aside, Nathan Redmond impressed again during a substitute appearance. The Englishman created several chances and scored once courtesy of a lovely chip over the goalkeeper.
Comparing both of these attacking options side by side Redmond comes out the clear winner. What’s more, fellow forward-thinking player Stuart Armstrong has also impressed regularly and continued in that vein against the Rams.
In the current lineup Mohamed is a long way off a starters birth. If this performance is a base for good things to come then it holds some promise, but if this is a performer at his peak he won’t last long at the top level of English football.