The end of last season for Southampton was very poor, as the team suddenly lost three times in a row, including 0-5 against Leicester. This ultimately ended her chances of direct promotion to the Premier League. However, Russell Martin's players proved in the play-offs that they deserved success and defeated Leeds in the final for the second time in a month. But now you can clearly see how big the difference in levels is between the Championship and PL.
A nightmare for Bednarek's team. The worst run in Premier League history
The newcomer started the season unluckily, losing two matches 0:1 – against Newcastle and Nottingham. When Cardiff was eliminated in the English League Cup, it seemed that something had changed in the team. But it was only temporary, as further league defeats followed against Brentford (1-3) and Manchester United (0-3). So far, Russell Martin's players have only scored a point, drawing with fellow newcomers Ipswich.
They had a great opportunity to break their terrible streak on Saturday, when they faced Leicester. The start was promising, and after the first half they were leading 2-0 after goals by Archer and Joe Aribo. Coach Steve Cooper, knowing he had to react, allowed Harry Winks onto the pitch during the break. 20 minutes later, Facundo Buonanotte scored a contact goal. And the guests started attacking. Soon after, introduced Ryan Fraser fouled Jamie Vardy, who only had a goal in front of him, and was sent off. The injured party himself stepped up to the penalty spot and equalized the score.
When it seemed that the match would end in a draw, in the eighth minute of added time the Southampton defense made a terrible mistake. The opponents took advantage of her inattention during the corner kick, and after a clever play by Winks, Jordan Ayew scored the winning goal to make it 3-2.
– It's just unbelievable. That's why we play football. There were moments of doubt after the first half, but then we pulled ourselves together and achieved success, the Ghanaian explained. BBC Sport reported after the match that Southampton has been waiting to triumph in the Premier League for 21 games, which is an absolute record for the top division in England.
Southampton – Leicester 2-3 (2-0)
Goals: Archer (8'), Aribo (28') – Buonanotte (64'), Vardy (74', f.), J. Ayew (90+8')
Jan Bednarek played the full 90 minutes for the home team, and he was furious with his teammates after Ayew's goal. Flashscore rated it 6.1, while Sofascore rated it 6.5. The Polish representative had 41 contacts with the ball, 24 out of 31 accurate passes (77%), four effective interventions and won one duel. After eight rounds, Southampton is in last place in the table, three points behind Ipswich, which is outside the relegation zone.