Southampton 2-2 Leicester City: Three Key Moments from the game
By Joe Mcindoe
Leicester Sniff There Chance
Southampton lead the game twice. First through Jan Bednarek and then again, courtesy of the Leicester born Che Adams.
The latter was brought about by a fantastic cross from Nathan Redmond, which was met by a perfectly timed diving header.
The blues were not to be outdone though. The team from Leicestershire were soon on level terms after the break. This was in large part due to the brilliance and determination of James Maddison.
The number 10 picks up the ball inside his half and is allowed to make a marauding run across midfield into the home final third. Maddison‘s Progress was almost entirely uncontested.
The playmaker is then allowed to offload the ball, before looking for space in the box. He is successful in this endeavour and receive the ball in space entirely unmarked.
Red and white players are caught out and can’t solve the problem. As saints players look to close down the space, the ball is quickly played back to Madison, who is free to work.
The international displays some silky footwork to get the better of Tino Livramento, before firing the ball home.
This was a quality finish, and should be considered a worthy contender for the goal of the month. However, the defending of The goal left a lot to be desired.
The attacker was allowed to run into open space, before being left completely free in the danger zone.
Southampton take up positions within the box but fail to mark the key man. By the time one or two rush towards Madison it’s too late. Throughout the build up and strike, the defence always looked a second off the pace.
It’s possible there was slight contact on Redmond during the move, but certainly not enough to give a foul. This effectively left Leicester with an extra man and they took full advantage.
Saints appeared to be pulled back and fourth by Leicester’s smart play and never looked like getting close to man or ball.
Ralph‘s team has consistently shown an inability to stay sharp for 90 minutes. Although it hasn’t always proven costly, it has always made their life more difficult than it has needed to be in the top flight.
Poor teams like Aston Villa and Watford, have been made to look competitive because Saints have not only failed to take their chances, but have gifted them good opportunities to equalise.
The goal not only gave the Champions League contenders parity, but significant hopes of taking all three points. The notch set the tone for the rest of the game and the south coast side were lucky to escape with a share of the spoils.