x

Southampton V Ipswich Town The Verdict

Ultimately it was heartbreak for Saints deep in injury time, but this was a performance which gave hope with several new stars starting to emerge and also a new confidence, but there is still a long way to go yet.

Most Southampton supporters were fairly happy with the line up when it was announced at 1.45 pm, the only real surprise being the omission of Kyle Walker Peters, but aside from that it was a freshening up of what had been a tired and shell shocked starting XI in the previous games.

The game had an explosive start when a superb short pass from Adam Lallana split the defence and Tyler Dibling opened his account for the first team.

But from then on it would be a tough end to end game, Southampton only just shading possession at 53% and with chances at a premium as both sides dug in.

The stats for the game were pretty even, aside from goalkeeper saves, with Aaron Ramsdale having to make 5 out of 6 on target and the visitors keeper only 2 from 3.

In fact the only stat that really varied was corners, the Tractor boys had 10 compared to our 2.

This probably showed that this was no easy game for Saints, it was one that they had to get a result from sheer guts rather than controlling the game through possession football and it probably tells you a couple of things, firstly we are better when we are not having to overplay and are more direct and secondly we do have the squad to fight our way out of this position we are in at present.

Several players here showed their class, Tyler Dibling was the obvious one and in him we have someone who is capable of getting into double figures this season, Adam Lallana rolled back the years and ran the show in midfield for an hour before departing, Mateus Fernandes showed why he may become the bargain of the season, not only was he dynamic, but he showed he can battle for the ball as well as use it.

Flynn Downes looked a natural captain, Aaron Ramsdale once again showed why he will save us points and not cost us and the back four showed grit and determination with Charlie Taylor adding experience and organisation that has long been missing.

But everyone played a part, of the 16 players who took part, you could say one or two didn't have good games, but you couldn't say they lacked effort and fight and they made sure that average games didn't become poor ones.

Sadly though it would not end well, but perhaps for the first time this season we conceded a goals that we really could have done little about, yes perhaps we were a little too deep, but Morsy's effort was probably unstoppable even before it took the deflection.

So there were a lot of good things to take from this game, last season Ipswich beat us twice, so we have improved, we were only a couple of minutes away from swapping places with Ipswich in the Premier League table, if we could have hung on then we would have been out of the bottom 3.

Of course that is not the case, but it does show that the battle at the bottom of the table is far from a foregone conclusion we are only a win away from getting out of the relegation spots and we are coming up on the rails.

As I mentioned in the preview, Russell Martin is a lucky manager, key moments in his reign have shaped the season and forced him to make changes he might not have otherwise made, this was one of them, let us hope that as he did at times last season he shows a tendency to play players that are not in on merit, on Saturday he found not only a starting XI that can pull us clear of trouble, but also strength on the bench that could serve us well.

In the previous four games we lacked a Captain who could lead, someone who leads from the front and is respected, on Saturday we had half a dozen Captains out there, Flynn Downes of course, but Adam Lallana was just as influential, so was Aaron Ramsdale, likewise Taylor Harwood Bellis, Jan Bednarek & Charlie Taylor at the back, even Adam Armstrong who came on and rallied the team by example in the final stages when they must have been out on their feet.

Ultimately this seemed like a defeat as we conceded so late in the game, but these things happen, there were a lot more plus's in this game than negatives, of course the sceptics will have their say on social media, but to get out of trouble we have to surround ourselves with positives and not negatives.

What to read next:

From Frustration to Relief: Leeds United Equalise in Dramatic Final Moments
We should have been playing against ten men for over half this game, but in the end Leeds had to be content with a point after forcing a very late equaliser against Preston North End.
Preston Awaydaze
Our visit to Deepdale is on Saturday, with a 12.30pm kick off, and once again we’re live on Sky Sports. As the name Preston North End suggests, the stadium is a mile or so to the north of the town centre.
Leeds keep home run going against lively Middlesbrough
This time we were made to work hard for our home win, but two late goals proved to be enough to take the points against Middlesbrough.
Leeds ease to comfortable win over Derby
The game played out as most of the fans on both sides would have predicted, apart from the identity of the two goalscorers. It took a while for us to break down a stubborn Derby County defence, but once we had scored the two goals there was only going to be one way this game was going to finish.
Leeds drawn at home to Harrogate in the FA Cup
Tonight’s draw for the third round of the FA Cup threw up several local derbies, and the most enticing of all must be our all-Yorkshire clash with Harrogate Town, with the two clubs being only 15 miles apart.
Disappointing Leeds go down at Blackburn
Our defeat to Blackburn Rovers has caused plenty of moaning on social media, while Daniel Farke has blamed our hectic fixture schedule. But it was a shame the team picked the game with our biggest travelling support of the season to serve up one of their worst away performances.
Blackburn Awaydaze
This season’s trip to Blackburn Rovers is tomorrow with kick-off at 1.30, provided the pitch has dried out enough after last week’s postponement. Once again it looks like we’ll be taking the biggest away following in the Championship this season.
Farke sees room for improvement despite victory
Leeds duly went back to the top of the table with a fairly routine victory over Luton Town, but Daniel Farke thought the win should have been even more emphatic when he spoke to the BBC after the game.
Leeds fighting spirit wins through as we beat Swansea to go top
Leeds were twice behind in this incredible game at Swansea City, and then seemed to have victory snatched away right at the death. But each time we fought back and our sheer determination finally secured the victory that we needed to finish the weekend on top of the Championship.
Swansea Awaydaze
Our visit to Swansea City is on Sunday with a 3pm kick-off, and once again we’re being televised live on Sky Sports, which will be handy for those of us who can’t get to South Wales on a Sunday.