After a dismal defeat at home to Hull City, victory at home to a resurgent Sheffield United team should be celebrated, right? Not really.
Of course, the three points were very welcome, and it was great to see Eckert finally embrace the concept of starting with a back four.
Welington proves Will Still was right to start him in August
The return of Welington to the left side of defence added pace, bite, and athleticism that had been missing in recent weeks. His inclusion gave the team balance, and it was no surprise when his counter-pressing resulted in the first goal.
A similar thing could be said about Elias Jelert on the right side. His defensive contributions kept his team in the game, though a late mistake could have cost them two points.
Although Saints dominated for long periods of the first half and should have gone into half-time at least two goals to the good, it was the second-half performance that will worry Saints fans.
Blades' boss, Chris Wilder didn't pull any punches in his post-match assessment. “We've got to take something from that game,” said the United manager afterwards.
“We were a lot better second half but we've got to get something from the game, even in the last five or 10 minutes. We could possibly win that 3-1 with the chances that we had, but we've got to convert those situations that we had.“
“Second half we passed it better, we didn't turn it over as much as we did first half and didn’t allow them to dominate, which they did first half. Instead we dominated them.“
Second-half capitulation has been a recurring theme for Eckert's side this season, and it has already cost them too many points. Whereas in the first period, Southampton were on the front foot and played with a higher block than usual, they got progressively deeper as the match went on.
Wilder's assessment was bang on the money!
Wilder's assessment was not wide of the mark at all. Had Patrick Bamford converted a golden chance in the final few minutes, Eckert could have been facing a very uncomfortable weekend indeed.
Saints fans won't want to admit it, but the second-half performance was deeply concerning. As the defence dropped deeper, it became increasingly difficult for Caspar Jander and Flynn Downes to press the ball and cover the passing lanes.
A clear header from a corner (where have we seen that before), a goal-line clearance by Harwood-Bellis after the keeper failed to get anywhere near a cross (where have we seen that before), a last-ditch block by Jelert as United seemed destined to score (that's new), and a monumental save from the keeper with Bamford clean through (that's new too).
Hopefully, Wednesday's victory will go down as one of those scratchy wins that usher in a run of good form built on some old-fashioned grit and determination. All winning teams need a bit of luck along the way, and it's fair to say that luck has to be earned.
Tonda Eckert's team worked very hard for each other last night, and perhaps they earned the luck they had. But if they keep dropping off and leaving the midfield spaces open as they did in the second half last night, they may be punished on Sunday at Fratton Park.