In recent weeks Mark Hughes has had to constantly respond to reports he is on the verge of being sacked after just one Premier League victory so far this season.
But the performance against Manchester United showed encouraging signs, even if Southampton weren’t able to get all 3 points.
The midweek cup performance against Leicester, in which a number of players with irregular playing time started, clearly impressed Hughes as there were only two changes for the United game following the penalty shootout loss to Leicester.
Hughes reverted back to a 3-4-1-2 formation for this tie against United and, with increasing speculation about his job, showed a huge amount of confidence in Obafemi and Valery by giving the youngsters their first Premier League starts.
Both impressed during the match, with Obafemi even getting an assist for the Saint’s 1st goal when he played the ball to Armstrong who lashed the ball across De Gea in to the far corner.
Obafemi was exciting to watch, constantly pressing United’s back line and linking especially well with Nathan Redmond. His performance certainly did him no harm in terms of staking a place for regular 1st team football, until he was unfortunately substituted in the 64th minute following a hamstring injury.
Valery likewise was impressive to watch, getting forward when an attack was building and linking well with Lemina, yet also tracking back and holding down the right flank well with Jack Stephens.
Fans have been calling for weeks to see Hoedt dropped following a number of poor performances and will have been delighted to see Stephens and Vestergaard back in the 1st team alongside Yoshida.
This suggests Hughes has finally listened to the fans cries, starting promising youngsters and dropping under performing players.
Whilst the attacking side of the United draw was encouraging, defensive problems still exist.
Yoshida was turned far too easily by Rashford for the 1st goal and Vestergaard was caught out of position for the 2nd. The defense was generally compact throughout the match but these 2 lapses in concentration have ultimately cost Southampton 2 points.
On a more positive note, Jack Stephens was very impressive. He organised the defence well and kept Lukaku quiet for the majority of the game, and showed why he deserves to be a regular starter in the league over Wesley Hoedt.
Ultimately the question is was this match a fluke in terms of performances or could it be the start of something more encouraging? Though Manchester United are struggling in the league, it’s certainly a deserved point that could prove precious come the end of the season.
This match certainly suggested the players still want to perform for Mark Hughes, and that he has not lost the dressing room despite their poor form.
The midweek game against Spurs is one that most will expect the Saints to lose, but if they perform as they did against United, Hughes should certainly be given more time.
The game against Cardiff next weekend will be one of the biggest this season for the Saints, and Mark Hughes will be hoping this promising performance from his players will grant him more time to turn Southampton’s fortunes around.
