Player Ratings as woeful Southampton are beaten at Oxford

Southampton suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of manager-less Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium today.
Oxford United v Southampton - Sky Bet Championship
Oxford United v Southampton - Sky Bet Championship | Matt Watson/GettyImages

Southampton came away from Oxford United with nothing after another inept performance on the road.

Tyler Goodrham opened the scoring on 23 minuetes with a thunderous effort after Southampton failed to fully deal with a corner.

Goodrham's effort flew through a cloud of players and down to Gavin Bazunu's right. Despite the Saint's keeper getting fingertips to it, the shot was too powerful.

The Saints were back on level terms within six minutes when Leo Scienza swung in a free-kick from the right hand-side which Taylor Harwood-Bellis headed powerfully home.

Southampton failed to capitalise on two good chances in the second half. First, Caspar Jander blazed over a volley from close range before Adam Armstrong hammered the ball straight at the keeper when it was easier for him to score.

It was no great surprise when Stanley Mills scored the winner for Oxford in the dying minutes of the match sending Saints fans home with little to be happy about.

Oxford United 2-1 Southampton


Goalkeeper and Defenders

Norwich City v Southampton - Sky Bet Championship - Carrow Road
Norwich City v Southampton - Sky Bet Championship - Carrow Road | Nigel French - PA Images/GettyImages

Gavin Bazunu (GK) - 5/10 - Perhaps should have done better with both goals. Glued to his line on defensive corners.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis (RCB) - 7/10 -  Southampton's best player today. Scored a very good goal, made a list ditch tackle that saved a certain goal, brought the ball out of defence with authority.

Nathan Wood (CB) - 5/10 - AMade some solid clearances with his head in the first half but in possession just went sideways. Generally poor.

Jack Stephens (LCB) - 5/10 - Poor decision making in possession. Positioning suspect at times.


Midfielders

Tom Fellows (RM) - 6.5/10 - Won the free-kick that led to Saints goal and put one on a plate for Jander which he blazed over.

Flynn Downes (CM) - 5.5/10 - A terrier in the first half but poor in possession.

Caspar Jander (CM) - 6/10 - A good first half in and out of possession. Should have put his team ahead from Fellow's cross.

Ryan Manning (LM) - 5.5/10 - Got forward often but his distribution and dead-balls were poor by his high standards.


Forwards

Southampton v Coventry City - Sky Bet Championship
Southampton v Coventry City - Sky Bet Championship | Matt Watson/GettyImages

Léo Scienza (LF) - 6/10 - Lively in the first half. Saw a shot deflected onto a post when he failed to get a shot away quickly enough. Inexplicably withdrawn after 56 minutes.

Adam Armstrong (CF) - 5.5/10 - Goal scorers are rightly judged on the number of goals they score. Another blank at Oxford today made it none in three matches.

Finn Azaz (RF) - 5/10 - Quickly becoming a shadow of his recent self. Another poor game today.

Oriol Romeu - 6/10
Jay Robinson - 6.5/10
Ryan Fraser- 5/10
Cameron Archer - N/A

Player of the match: Taylor Harwood-Bellis

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