Southampton 1 Stoke City 0: Sadio Mane hits winner as Ronald Koeman's side move up to second
Is it an illusion, or do Southampton look so much better after shifting all that dead wood from their squad in the summer?
Here, the outstanding team of this Premier League season took another giant leap away from the relegation battle many had predicted for them, moving above Manchester City and into second place in the Premier League. “We’re going to win the league,” their fans chanted, and they were only half-joking.
What will have made this win all the more satisfying for Ronald Koeman was the way it showcased both sides of Southampton: not just the team who have scored more goals than Manchester City, but the team that has conceded fewer goals than anyone this season.
Time and again, Stoke City pounded against the door in the second half, only to be met with a wall of tactical discipline and an immaculately-laid offside trap.
Besides, Southampton should really have been out of sight by then, hitting the woodwork four times in the first 50 minutes. Having seemingly begun the season as the team nobody wanted to play for, Southampton are now the team nobody wants to play.
Once again, the new signings had a terrific afternoon. Sadio Mane scored the only goal of the game and ran circles around Phil Bardsley on the left. It was from that flank that most of the early chances came: Steven Davis and Graziano Pelle missed one each.
On the other wing, Dusan Tadic started making an impression after about 20 minutes.
Stoke left-back Erik Pieters was clearly under orders to stick to him like cling film, but when Tadic was able to shake him off, he looked dangerous, forcing Asmir Begovic into a sharp save at the near post. From the resultant corner, Morgan Schneiderlin rattled the crossbar.
Stoke were not entirely passive: Victor Moses used his familiar feint-and-shuffle to dart in between Nathaniel Clyne and Jose Fonte, but could not shoot cleanly under pressure.
Yet you sensed Southampton were getting closer, and sure enough, just after half an hour, a free-kick from the right was headed weakly away to Pelle.
Pelle’s first shot, a left-footed bullet, smacked against the bottom of the post. Mane reacted quickest, slamming the ball into the roof of the net.
To combat this sort of multiple threat, you need plenty of running and a midfield prepared to plug gaps wherever they appear. And here Mark Hughes erred in selecting Charlie Adam rather than the more logical option of Steve Sidwell.
Adam is one of those rare footballers who – in the nicest possible way – already looks a couple of decades into retirement.
In his languid yet gently teetering gait can perhaps be glimpsed the Adam of the very near future: legends tournaments on Sky Sports 4, cheesy adverts for betting companies and roofing supply contractors, long afternoons in his favourite armchair.
For all his undoubted gifts on the ball, containing one of the most dynamic midfields in the Premier League proved sadly beyond him here. Neither willing nor able to press at pace or support his full-back, it was little surprise when he was hooked just seven minutes into the second half and replaced with Mame Biram Diouf.
Adam’s substitution allowed the more mobile Steven Nzonzi to sit deeper, and with Diouf offering tenacity as well as pace on the break, Stoke instantly looked more threatening. But although Stoke saw more and more of the ball, Southampton continued to create chances. Pelle hit the crossbar with another header.
Koeman introduced Victor Wanyama, upturning his midfield triangle to give the back four extra cover. Wanyama was a sentinel, almost a third centre-back, snuffing out trouble before it happened like a crime-fighter of the future. Even with the introduction of Marko Arnautovic for Jon Walters, Stoke never quite had the guile to unpick them, although Phil Bardsley’s cross would certainly have been prodded in by Diouf at the far post had his legs been just a couple of inches longer.
Four minutes of injury time offered few alarms for Southampton. Stoke are not a bad team by any stretch, but here they simply came up against a side at maximum confidence, assured in their roles and full of players demanding the ball. And as Liverpool found out again today, confidence does not have a transfer release clause.
