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Southampton vs Leeds United Player Ratings – Southampton put an end to a four-match losing streak with an impressive 3-1 win over Leeds United at St. Marys Stadium this Saturday afternoon.
With this win, Russell Martin’s side was able to move back into the top half of the Championship table and are tied on the same points (13) as Leeds.
Southampton vs Leeds United Timeline
Contents
3′ (Goal) – Adam Armstrong pounces on Walker-Peters’ pass into the box and scores by dinking one over Meslier.
31′ (Goal) – Sulemana makes a darting run into the box before his cut-back is guided into the goal by Smallbone.
35′ (Goal) – Sulemana makes a terrific pass to find Armstrong, who tricks Bryam to score past Meslier again.
45’ – Alcarez’s header tipped over the bar from Meslier.
57′ (Goal) – Struijk shows impressive reflexes to capitalize on Southampton’s poor set-piece defending and guide the ball into the goal.
83′ – Armstrong gets hattrick denied as Meslier saves his swirling attempt.
The Big Stat
Southampton’s opening goal in the third minute was their fastest goal scored in the Championship this season. They haven’t scored a goal third early in any other competitions either.
Southampton vs Leeds United player ratings: Star Man
Kamaldeen Sulemana – 9.5/10
The 21-year-old winger was on fire on the left flank and nobody could hold their own against his movement. He set up the second goal by making a surging run into the box before smartly finding Smallbone empty in the middle.
Sulemana then added a second assist to his name by drifting into a central area and playing a perfect ball to Armstrong in the area before his impressive finish. Played under 60 minutes, but got two assists to his name and completed multiple exciting dribbles to thrill the St. Marys.
Southampton vs Leeds United Player Ratings: Saints’ first-half heroics secure big win
Russell Martin encouraged his side to take the fight to Leeds from the get-go. That enabled them to capitalize on the Whites’ defensive vulnerability and put the game to bed before half-time. This was their best performance in many weeks and a much-needed big performance at St. Marys.
Southampton Player Ratings
Gavin Bazunu 6/10 – Made a few nice saves but was fooled by Strujik’s instinctive goal.
Kyle Walker-Peters 7.5/10 – Set up the opener with a delightful, defence-splitting pass. Defensively quite composed with his challenges.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis 7/10 – Read the game well and proactive at the back, consistently thwarting away danger.
Jan Bednarek 6.5/10 – Commanded a sharp and sturdy backline that frustrated Leeds.
Ryan Manning 5/10 – Tormented by James and lucky to see his blushes saved by teammates.
Carlos Alcaraz 7/10 – An energetic figure in midfield who recovered possession many times and helped with the build-up play.
Flynn Downes 6.5/10 – Dictated the tempo nicely and moved the ball forward with impressive passes.
Will Smallbone 7.5/10 – Made nice runs into the final third and scored a clever goal as a result. Distributed the ball around efficiently.
Kamaldeen Sulemana 9.5/10: Tormented Leeds’ backline with his unpredictable running and notched up two assists with his brilliant delivery.
Stuart Armstrong 6/10 – Moved around menacingly but his final output was awry.
Adam Armstrong 9.0/10 – Started the game by delightfully chipping one over Meslier and then blasted one past him to give his side a much-needed win.
Substitutes
Ryan Fraser 6/10 – Made some nice runs into the attacking areas.
Che Adams 6/10 – Added energy to the Southampton frontline.
Shea Charles 6/10 – Moved the ball around well after coming on.
Joe Aribo – N/A
James Bree – N/A
The players made the right choice 😅
A very proud manager shares his post-match thoughts:
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) September 30, 2023
Toothless Leeds made to pay for their mistakes
Leeds United looked shaky from the first minute and made too many errors for their own good, allowing Southampton to gain total control in the first half.
Leeds United Player Ratings
Illan Meslier 4/10 – Outwitted on multiple occasions by the Southampton players and lacked a commanding nature in goal.
Jamie Shackleton 5/10 – Failed to keep Sulemana quiet and had no attacking threat either.
Pascal Struijk 7/10 – Defensively quite secure and got one back with a clever finish.
Liam Cooper 5/10 – The Leeds captain was caught out of position for multiple goals and failed to hold together a tight backline.
Sam Bryam 5/10 – Byram looked shaky defensively and was embarrassed and left on his backside for the third goal.
Ethan Ampadu 6/10 – Won a few important duels but his forward passes lacked inspiration.
Glen Kamara 5/10 – Outworked and outwitted in midfield and got booked for a sloppy foul.
Daniel James 7/10 – James terrorized the Saints with his speedy runs, but his impressive delivery wasn’t converted.
Joel Piroe 5/10 – Almost invisible for major parts of the game and lacked efficiency in his final product.
Crysencio Summerville 6/10 – Created a few chances with his clever delivery but nobody converted them.
Georginio Rutter 6.5/10 – Made the goalkeeper work with a few powerful shots and kept the defenders on edge.
Substitutes
Archie Gray 6/10 – Added more energy to the midfield towards the end.
Jaidon Anthony 6/10 – Made some nice runs into the final third.
Patrick Bamford – N/A
The Final Word
Southampton got their first first win in over a month against Leeds and this is a much-needed one for Russell Martin. It’ll remove pressure from his shoulders and help rebuild the fans’ faith in him. For Leeds, this will be a blow to their aspirations of closing in on the Championship top three.
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