The narrative ahead of today's playoff semi-final first leg between Southampton and Middlesbrough at the Riverside had little to do with the game itself and more to do with allegations that a Southampton 'intern' had been caught spying on Middlesbrough's training session.
Those allegations may well have fuelled Middlesbrough's fast start to the match in a first-half where Tommy Conway missed three gilt-edged chances.
The talk of the Bundesliga
One constant throughout the match was the exceptional performance of Southampton midfielder Caspar Jander. Jander is quickly becoming the talk of the Bundesliga with top German clubs reportedly keen to sign the young German.
As it stands, the Saints will be keen to keep hold of Jander if they secure promotion to the Premier League. The 23-year-old carried out Tonda Eckert's instructions to the letter in a first-half performance where his teammates went largely missing.
Time and again, Jander made vital challenges and came away with the ball when he had no right to. On the ball, he was composed and retained the ball better than Flynn Downes and particularly Finn Azaz, who was very wasteful in possession.
Once the game opened up in the second half, Jander's pressing resulted in more possession for the Saints. As a result, Scienza saw more of the ball than he did in the opening period, as did Tom Fellows.
The one player who makes Southampton tick
Reflecting on Jander's heatmap against Boro, it is obvious to see that he really makes his side tick. He touched the ball 51 times according to whoscored.com in positions all over the pitch.
Despite his slender build, Jander wins more tackles than he loses. He simply has a knack for coming away with the ball in one-on-one situations. Today he won two tackles, intercepted the ball twice and made two clearances.
The stats do not reflect the ground Jander covered at the Riverside today, and there is far more to the German's game than touches and completed passes. Jander was head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch, which speaks volumes about a player who has developed into a top-class player this season.
Jander's dominant display earned him the Saints Marching player of the match at the Riverside, but the energetic German could find it difficult to recover sufficiently to face Boro again on Tuesday.
Southampton are blessed with midfielders of genuine quality, so even if Jander does not recover enough to play, Shea Charles and Cameron Bragg could easily step in without it being detrimental.
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