Newcastle 3-1 Southampton: Premier League – Three Match Takeaways

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - APRIL 20: Matt Ritchie of Newcastle United battles for possession with James Ward-Prowse of Southampton during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Southampton FC at St. James Park on April 20, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - APRIL 20: Matt Ritchie of Newcastle United battles for possession with James Ward-Prowse of Southampton during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Southampton FC at St. James Park on April 20, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) /
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NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – APRIL 20: Javier Manquillo of Newcastle United is challenged by Nathan Redmond of Southampton during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Southampton FC at St. James Park on April 20, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – APRIL 20: Javier Manquillo of Newcastle United is challenged by Nathan Redmond of Southampton during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Southampton FC at St. James Park on April 20, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images) /

Lowly Southampton travelled to St James’ Park to face Newcastle but the encounter ended with the home side triumphing, following a smartly taken hat-trick by Ayoze Perez.

In truth Southampton never really got going and despite a classy finish from the returning Mario Lemina to bring the scores back to 2-1, it never looked like the visitors were going to prevail.

In a reality check for the Saints following back to back wins over Brighton and Wolves, Ralph Hasenhuttl will be disappointed with his side’s showing. Although there was a marked improvement in the second half, Southampton were not at the races and looked sluggish in comparison to the recent fluidity displayed in previous games.

A shaky, makeshift defence lacked the character and resolve required to keep Spaniard Perez at bay, whilst his compatriot Rafa Benitez deserves credit for the enterprising way his Newcastle team played. Saints are tantalisingly close to safety but they must look for wins in the upcoming games against Watford, Bournemouth, West Ham and Huddersfield to secure top flight status.

Here are the three key takeaways from Southampton’s 3-1 defeat: