No one can argue with the result, nor the performance which was not a typical Southampton game usually seen under Russell Martin, but all in all it is a day that will always be remembered by those present.
As a game of football this was not a great display, it was a tense nervous game that rarely saw either keeper tested and was settled by one of the few good moves of the game, but no one should underestimate the hard work that Saints put in to win this.
From the start this was not a game that followed the pattern of most Saints performances this season, instead of the usual 65% or more possession stats, they had to play much of it without the ball, it was Leeds who had 58% of the ball with Russell Martin’s side having to work hard to get the ball enjoying just 42%.
So it was always going to be about working hard and keeping the game tight and when a chance came taking it, in truth it was Southampton who had the better of the chances and the crucial one came on 24 minutes, Will Smallbone has not been the star of the Saints side for much of this season, but he has been a vital part of it, doing the grafting and playing the ball short, not to mention a few goals here and there.
In essence it was perhaps the simplest pass of the game to Adam Armstrong, but it was also one of the best, a simple weighted pass into space for the striker to run onto, it split the Leeds defence and Adam Armstrong finished clinically to send half the 85,000 in the crowd, bigger than the previous days cup final, into ecstasy.
From then on it was going to be tense and nervous, could we hold on to the lead or indeed increase it, the loss of David Brooks on 35 minutes saw him replaced by Sam Edozie, so attack was still on the cards.
On reflection Saints rarely looked like losing this game or indeed conceding a goal, Leeds only real dangerous moment was when Dan James hit the bar with 6 minutes left, that was not luck, it was down to 100% effort from everyone that got on the pitch and a superb defensive display that saw us rarely lose a challenge, fail to clear a ball or for that matter and more importantly leave someone unmarked.
Alex McCarthy was strong and composed when called upon and the back four were immense, I include Jack Stephens in that, my issue with him in the team has never been about him personally, it has always been about the fact that the manager shoe horned him into the side and caused disruption by dropping key players to do so and breaking up a solid back four in the process.
From then on it was going to be tense and nervous, could we hold on to the lead or indeed increase it, the loss of David Brooks on 35 minutes saw him replaced by Sam Edozie, so attack was still on the cards.
On reflection Saints rarely looked like losing this game or indeed conceding a goal, Leeds only real dangerous moment was when Dan James hit the bar with 6 minutes left, that was not luck, it was down to 100% effort from everyone that got on the pitch and a superb defensive display that saw us rarely lose a challenge, fail to clear a ball or for that matter and more importantly leave someone unmarked.
All four of that back line were 9/10 and indeed there is a case for 10/10.
They were ably supported by the midfield, Ryan Fraser worked hard in front of Stephens as did Brooks on the other flank, in the centre Will Smallbone, Flynn Downes and Joe Aribo were immense, it was going to be about hard graft and they did it.
That left Adam Armstrong up front and he put in his usual hard working game and it is fitting that he was the man of the match on the day not only for his well taken goal, but his usual blood, sweat & tears.
The substitutions have been a contentious issue at times this season, only three were made and one of them was enforced, Russell Martin stuck with the foundations built and just tweaked rather than the usual mass changes seen at some games this season, that paid dividends. Ryan Manning and Che Adams were the right changes at the right time.
With 9 minutes of injury time coming on the board without the extra to be added for the head injury incident at the end of normal time, it was going to be tense, but in truth it wasn’t, Leeds were a spent force, every time they tried to get a head of steam they found a solid wall in front of them, they could not find any chink in our armour and you could see the confidence draining from them and the frustration replacing it and yes i know it didn’t feel like that at the time !
