To win a game in the Premier League is quite an achievement in itself. To do it against 14 men is phenomenal.
Here are my ratings:
Schmeichel: 7 - Did what he had to when called into action. The odd dodgy kick aside, no errors.
Wasilewski: 7 - Got swamped occasionally under the high ball but stayed firm.
Huth: 9 - Exuded calmness throughout in a team that occasionally looked like it was ready to panic in the first half. Nothing got by him. My choice for our MOTM.
Morgan: 8 - Strong and dominant performance at centre back, although never makes as much time for himself on the ball as the other two.
Albrighton: 7 - Another energetic, bustling performance. More committed to defence than attack, and did his job.
James: n/a - I hope the injury's not too serious, but I'm hearing rumours of a ligament tear, in which case he could be out for a very long time.
Cambiasso: 7 - Not his best game on the ball, but this was a masterclass in how to control the tempo of a game. He slowed things down constantly whenever it got too hectic. His intelligence shone through.
Schlupp: 6 - Looked uncertain whether to press or not much of the time, opting for caution. Happily, Clyne seemed reluctant to really test him and this tactic paid off. Still decent overall though.
Mahrez: 8 - One wonderful goal and a new contender for goal of the season, the other getting into the right place at the right time. Caused Southampton problems with his skill but again lightweight at times, exposing our defence. Still needs to add more defensive know-how to his game for me.
Ulloa: 7 - Looks confident again, challenging defenders well, closing down and keen to make a difference. Good all-round target man display, although lacking in scoring opportunities.
Vardy: 7 - After setting up Mahrez, he missed a great chance to put the game out of sight. Usual busy performance, leading the defence from the front.
Drinkwater: 6 - Grew into the game and got much better in the second half after a decidedly shaky start. Can't bring the energy that Matty James can to a 2-man midfield though, and if King's fit again then that could be a difficult selection next week.
Nugent: 5 - Unable to influence much with a cameo, inviting pressure late on. However, it seems he has picked up another knock so it is understandable to a degree.
Hammond: 6 - Filled a gap in central midfield, forcing Southampton around or over and preventing them getting a proper chance despite some late dominance.
For Southampton, they were very reminiscent of Swansea a few weeks back - they clearly have quality, but didn't match our intensity and paid the price for it. They can be very proud of their season however, even if they do insist on playing the constant cheat that is Mané.
Player ratings vs. Southampton
posted on 10/5/15
I'm with Nev on this. The whole team deserve a solid 9 for one of the best tactical and committed displays we've had.
Yes Southampton's play impacted a couple of performances (Schlupp the obvious one) but the way we organised and contained their play was excellent.
Cambiasso was once again phenomenal. Can we get a statue now?
What other player has ever made such a positive impact on our club in just one season?
We're close, but I won't relax until we're mathematically certain. Like Pearson says, there's still work to be done.
posted on 10/5/15
Huth was about as close to a 10 as u can get as a defender. Outstanding get that man signed up now.
Don't think the ref was that bad really. Yes there were a couple of bad decisions but nothing you don't see most weeks.
Thought Vardy looked like he was struggling first half myself. Hope he's better for next week. He's even more important away from home as an outlet.
posted on 10/5/15
Yes, I thought Vardy look knackered quite early on, I guess it had to catch up with him the effort he continually puts in, lets hope he can keep it up for two more games.
I thought he might have got taken off slightly earlier than he did to protect him.
Vardy for ENGLAND.
KTF
posted on 10/5/15
Absolutely delighted with the result yesterday. I was concerned about how Southampton might respond after Sunderland beat them last week. What's most pleasing is it wasn't our best performance of the season but we were comfortable,
Still annoyed about Sunderland beating Everton, but we were always going to have to get a result against them anyway and that hasn't changed.
Huth has been the difference for me this season and it has to go down as Pearsons greatest signing, even if it is a loan one. Without him we'd be down already because despite the brilliant work of Cambiasso, we were making too many defensive errors
posted on 10/5/15
No True Blue - Vardy for Thailand......
Top get him on that private Jet to Koh Samui Resort for a few days....
posted on 10/5/15
If it's physically possible, freeze him in cotton wool until next weekend.
posted on 10/5/15
The ice baths and cryo chambers will do the trick
posted on 10/5/15
I also thought Vardy looked nackered after about 15 mins. It also looked like Nugent wasn't fit or got another injury, we almost played the last 10 mins with 10 men. Huth was a mountain at the back and like someone said earlier was close to a 10. Cambiasso played in just about every position on the pitch he easy got another year left in him, get him signed up and Huth.
posted on 10/5/15
Dunge , nothing much to argue about. Mahrez mom for me - he's working much harder, closing down, even winning possession occasionally and of course scored two goals.
Cambiasso is sheer class, late on he did a beautifully weighted pass forward -which he ran onto himself and won a corner.
Huth is just awesome.
posted on 10/5/15
That was the champagne moment. He just plain out-thought 2 Southampton defenders.