Norwich 0-3 Southampton: Three key Saints players from the win

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NORWICH, ENGLAND – JUNE 19: Stuart Armstrong of Southampton celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Norwich City and Southampton FC at Carrow Road on June 19, 2020 in Norwich, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /

Stuart Armstrong

To say that Armstrong has been underused since his arrival at St Mary’s, would be an understatement. Southampton’s latest acquisition from Celtic has featured in 22 league games this campaign but with nearly half of those coming from the bench, the Scottish midfielder has not been seen as essential by his manager.

Armstrong was starting to find form before the suspension of football, with crucial goals in the wins over Leicester, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. Based on his performance at Carrow Road, he will surely be one of the first names on the team sheet moving forwards. A neat pass to Danny Ings in the 49th minute was clinically finished by Southampton’s top scorer and Armstrong added his own name to the scoresheet moments with a powerful drive past the despairing Tim Krul.

He provided energy, craft and ingenuity throughout the game, often in tight spaces and with little to work with. Southampton have lacked an intelligent attacking midfielder since Tadic’s departure to Ajax but Armstrong looks to have finally filled that void.