Southampton fans can breathe a sigh of relief as the Saints rolled over Sheffield United to the tune of a 2-0 win.
Ralph Hasenhutll must have felt revived with the return of the trio of Kyle Walker-Peters, Takumi Minamino and Ibrahima Diallo. Within 10 minutes Danny Ings took any reprieve away, limping off with another non-contact injury. Southampton survived the disappointment in the loss of their striker with a spell of methodical football. Capping it off with a James Ward-Prowse spot kick to rebuild the confidence of the side.
Nathan Tella earned the penalty and the praise of everyone viewing the match. His effectiveness in upsetting the Sheffield back line while winning free kicks was critical in erasing the opposing press. Tella was a constant threat running in behind and showed no fear in a high-octane role. After this performance, there should be little question in the position battle between he and Redmond, as the youngster looks yet another promising product of the Saints’ academy.
Che Adams’ strike will likely be the most impressive of the weekend. There is some thunder in those thighs and we may have benefited from a radar gun to calculate the k.m.h. The goal will prove to be incredibly important to the club as fans and players breathed a collective sigh of relief. Relegation should not be spoken of now 10 points clear with a favorable run of games ahead.
Southampton got the job done and that will be the message ahead of Manchester City Wednesday. There were a number of players who put in a shift and one has to wonder if Hsaenhuttl will finally rest a few. Stuart Armstrong being the first who comes to mind who outside of James Ward-Prowse looks the most important player in the team. Here are the player ratings for the first Southampton Premier League win since January.