Southampton left it late against Stoke City on Saturday afternoon to pick up their first Championship victory of the season.
Heading into the 89th minute, it looked as if the game between Tonda Eckert's hosts and Mark Robins' visitors was going to end all square at 1-1, but the Saints had other ideas, as two last-gasp goals secured the nervy win.
It was far from plain sailing from a Saints perspective, as Kuryu Matsuki looked uncomfortable played further back in a holding midfield role all afternoon. The sooner Southampton can snap up another midfielder, the better.
Moreover, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis absent, another centre-back in through the door might be needed.
Although, Nathan Wood did step into the first-team fold, with the number six linked with a move away to Aston Villa, and performed admirably, as six duels were valiantly won.
While the midfield and defence need some reinforcements, Eckert will surely be happy with the strikers he has at his disposal, with the dependable Cyle Larin opening the scoring, while St. Mary's newbie Divin Mubama made it 2-1 in the nail-biting affair, as an electric presence off the bench.
Eckert must be happy with his strikers
One of the worries heading into this fresh season was how Southampton would cope without Ross Stewart being present, as he became a steady source of goals for the Saints last campaign when hopping off the bench.
While Stewart did move onto Swansea City to the dismay of the St. Mary's masses, the powers that be did manage to tempt the aforementioned Larin into staying, and keeping him around is a huge plus, as he's one of the most clinical finishers in the entire division on his day.
Off the back of barely batting an eyelid to put the Saints 1-0 up against the Potters, the Brampton Bagsman now has a lethal three goals next to his name from just three games this season. One of those strikes also came about from only 28 minutes of action being handed to him against Colchester United to further prove how deadly he is.
Throwing Mubama into the mix as well, now, who only needed 11 minutes himself against Stoke to bag the decisive goal for 2-1, and it's clear that the German has an embarrassment of riches to choose from up top that should propel the South Coast side up the division, away from their current points deducted state.
Eckert would proudly state, after the game, that Mubama was "outstanding" on his home debut, with more to hopefully come from the London-born hotshot.
Still, more signings are needed elsewhere across the pitch, away from the lethal attack Eckert and Co. can boast, with the final 3-1 scoreline papering over some cracks somewhat.
More signings are needed elsewhere
Indeed, between now and the window closing at the start of September, Southampton must win themselves a new central midfielder as a big priority.
Selling Shea Charles has left them light in the midfield department, and with Caspar Jander's future uncertain on the South Coast heading into the final days of the window, a fresh signing is surely on the agenda.
They cannot continue with Matsuki being shoehorned into a central midfield role, as he lost possession 13 times against the Potters as an unconvincing stand-in.
Moreover, if Harwood-Bellis does end up packing his bags and moving to Villa Park, as the persistent rumours suggest, another centre-back should be on the shopping list.
Jack Stephens and the above-mentioned Wood were solid as a pairing against Stoke, with Stephens no doubt relieved that another error didn't seep into his game after his woes against Watford.
But, with Eckert declaring that Harwood-Bellis is "one of the best English centre-backs in the game" when talking about the likelihood of the one-time England international departing post-Stoke, you would expect a new, more eye-catching face to enter to fill that sizeable void.
Southampton supporters might not be thrilled with the current makeup of their team's squad overall, but a 3-1 win over Stoke on Saturday still managed to be secured, with the attackers they got to witness the clear jewel in the crown at the moment.
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