Fernandes shines, 4/10 struggles – Southampton player ratings v Northampton
Southampton progressed to the next round of the League Cup thanks to a moment of quality from star Mateus Fernandes.
It was a hard fought victory for Saints at League One Northampton who had chances in the first half to shock their Championship opponents and take the lead.
Will Still though got a higher performance level out of his side in the second half, which saw them control proceedings and, in the end, comfortably progress.
Below are playing ratings from Southampton’s 1-0 victory over Northampton at Sixfields.
Southampton defence work for clean sheet
Alex McCarthy – 6
Made a couple of smart stops as Northampton pressed for the opening goal in the first half before reverting to a spectator in the second period. One error of judgement when he had to be saved by Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
Ryan Manning – 7
Effective helping Southampton build their attacks and create chances getting up and down the left flank well at full-back.
Nathan Wood – 7
A solid evening for Wood who commanded the penalty area and showed his quality against inferior opposition.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Charlie Taylor 63′) – 6
Made a vital clearance off the line to deny Northampton a shock lead in the first half. Solid in the heart of the Southampton defence.
Ronnie Edwards – 4
Sloppy in possession, giving the ball away on multiple occasions. A Shakey match for the 22-year-old who was also booked.
Yukinari Sugawara – 7
Spurned a good chance at the back post in the first half, although the wing-back protested that he was brought down in the box. Saw a well-struck effort smack of the post as he nearly made it two in the second period.
Fernandes the difference as Saints edge through
Matheus Fernandes (Off for Ryan Fraser 71′) – 8 – Player of the match
Saw his shot blocked on the line when he tried to amend for Downs’ slip in-front of goal. Scored the winning goal of the match with an overlapping run forward before receiving the ball inside the penalty area. Cut inside and fired into the roof of the net. A moment of quality.
Shea Charles (Off for Flynn Downes 63′) – 7
Tenacious and kept Southampton ticking in the middle of the park.
Cameron Archer – 8
Grabbed the assist with a perfectly weighted pass into Fernandes to score to go alongside an excellent all-round performance.
Damion Downs (Off for Kuryu Matsuki 63′) – 6
Slipped at the crucial moment when he looked certain to score from just a few yards out. Played a key part in the build-up to the goal.
Ben Brereton Diaz (Off for Adam Armstrong 81′) – 6
Came into the starting line-up late to replace Ross Stewart and looked lively on occasions driving at the Northampton defence, but couldn’t make any major impact.
Subs get Southampton across the line
Substitutes
Kuryu Matsuki (On for Damion Downs 63′) – 6
Tenacious but made little impression in the spell he had on the pitch to impress Still.
Charlie Taylor (On for Taylor Harwood-Bellis 63′) – 6
Solid at the back and used his experience to not allow Northampton back in the game.
Flynn Downes (On for Shea Charles 63′) – 6
Neat and tidy in possession helping Southampton see the game out.
Ryan Fraser (On for Matheus Fernandes 71′) – 6
Saw little from the Scot in the time that remained.
Adam Armstrong (On for Ben Brereton Diaz 81′) – 6
Little time to make an impact and did not have a chance on goal.