Aston Villa 1-3 Southampton: Premier League – Three Key Saints Players

Jack Stephens

Scoring a decent goal in the 31st minute to put Saints two up probably did Stephens no harm in being included on the key players feature. That being said, he did enough to merit inclusion based on his defensive performance alone.

Since his return to the side, there can be no doubt about the 25 year old’s commitment to the common cause, whilst his partnership with Bednarek has contributed to some consistency and security being restored to the back four. Nevertheless, the pair have been far from infallible and both have been culpable for some significant and costly errors in recent weeks.

Yet Stephens deserves credit for his performance at Villa Park with several crucial blocks and clearances which preserved Southampton’s lead comfortably. He is undoubtedly a confidence player and his aim must surely be to retain his place for the remainder of the season. If he could just cut out his propensity for moments of carelessness, there is a decent, ball playing centre back in there somewhere. For now, fans will have to continue to accept the rough with the smooth.