In an inspired throwback, Southampton tugged at the heartstrings of the fans with a look back at Maya Yoshida’s match-winning goal against West Ham in 2016.
In a nervy, dogged affair the Japan international’s goal proved enough to secure the Saints’ fourth win in five games under Ronald Koeman.
To compound the extraordinary circumstances of the win, then-Saints enforcer Victor Wanyama saw a red card for the third time that season for an all-action challenge on West Ham’s Dimitri Payet.
At the time, the result was enough the catapult the Saints into seventh place and just three points off a Europa League place – with Southampton commanding an impressive 6th-placed finish at the denouement of the season.
Yoshida established himself as a mainstay on the south coast in an 8-year spell with the Saints following his £2.5 million move from Dutch side VV Venlo.
The central defender has been capped over 100 times for his country in his career in a fine testament to the influence he had for his side.
Now a veteran of the game at 32 years of age, the defender departed Southampton for Serie A side Sampdoria in 2020 on a free transfer.
His poached strike into the roof of the West Ham was shared by the club yesterday afternoon and has since gained over 1200 likes – with plenty of fans taking to the comments on Twitter to share their positive memories of the ‘popular’ scorer.
Read Southampton Verdict
To this day, it appears Yoshida still holds a welcome fond spot in the hearts of vast swathes of the fanbase.
It is a fondness that the club is astutely aware of, with their throwback warmly received.
