#2 Southampton struggle in the final third
Southampton could easily have gone ahead here, with Petr Cech forced into two good saves in the first half. There is a feeling, though, that the side often fails to convert tidy build-up play into clear-cut chances, and that was again in evidence on Wednesday.
Saints are a neat, technical team who are capable of producing some excellent football at times, but they can be a little blunt in the final third. Manolo Gabbiadini got his Premier League career off to a brilliant start but has faded a little since then, while Dusan Tadic has been much less influential this season than he was in the previous campaign.
This match could have turned out very differently indeed had Southampton demonstrated more of a clinical edge in and around the penalty area, so it would be unfair to criticise them too much. Yet there is a reason that Claude Puel’s charges have only scored 39 goals in their 35 encounters this term, and it is something they will need to improve next season.
