Southampton vs Stoke City on an eventful night at the St. Mary’s Stadium through which the home side emerged victorious by 3-2. This match was very much an expose of Southampton as far as attacking prowess and game dominating factor was concerned but Stoke City did give a good account of itself. This match pack features early goal excitement, lately and special features of team lineups and accurate match stats.
Southampton vs Stoke City Venue: St. Mary’s Stadium
The match was played in St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton, one of the premier league’s most famous arenas. Well illuminated, this stadium was filled with the Southampton fans who came to support their team throughout the match. The fans’ enhanced atmosphere acted as motivation to the players and the tight win instilled a lot of passion.
Southampton vs Stoke City Goals
There were many moments of contest throughout the game, which definitely didn’t allow fans to doze off. The two teams were creative and, although the Saints dominated the match, they came out as the eventual winner.
– 19th Minute – Southampton Goal by Taylor Harwood-Bellis:
Taylor Harwood-Bellis scored the first goal of the match taking a very good shot and making it into the 19th minute. His goal was down to a good combination and team work and because Stoke City’s defensive formation was slightly disoriented. Stoke City was stunned by Southampton’s early goal, which put the latter on the ascendancy right from the onset and the former on the defensive.
– 35th Minute – Southampton’s Second Goal by Adam Armstrong (Penalty):
Only 16 minutes after the first goal had been scored, Southampton made the advantage through a penalty. Adam Armstrong got it and took the penalty and calmly placed it in the back of the net in the 35th minute making it 2-0 Southampton. Cool and eminently deadly, Armstrong scored to the delight of the home fans and sank Southampton in the first half.
– 45th Minute – Stoke City’s First Goal by Ashley Phillips:
After a Southampton blitz to begin the game, Stoke City fought their way back into the game in the first half before the break. Ashley Phillips pulled a goal back six minutes before half time and it became 2-1 in the home team’s favour. What a goal this was for Stoke City and this really put them on the ascendancy before the break. Getting an equalizer goal was Phillips and it was followed by a good run and a fine shoot from the Stoke City team. Phillips secured an equalizer goal after a good run and a fine shot for Stoke City.
– 54th Minute – Stoke City Equalizes with Thomas Cannon’s Goal:
Stoke City continued that into the second half and then in the 54th minute, they scored to make the game 2-2. Thomas Cannon equalized to make it 2-2 and ROSY-THOR will be back in life. This goal was a lively one because it brought Southampton back into the game, and got the best of both teams in the latter half of the second half. Cannon’s finish was clinical and his goal was the signal needed for Stoke City to believe again.
– 88th Minute – James Bree’s Winning Goal for Southampton:
When the time was almost up and the match was in the ordinary time only, Southampton did it again. James Bree leveled the score for Southampton early in the 88th minute to bring the score to 3-2. Bree realized his objective in the match with a roar of cheers from the Southampton fans knowing this late goal would make the difference. It was his telling header which clinched the match for Southampton after a great show put up by the two teams.
Southampton vs Stoke City Team Lineups
The strategies of formation and particular approaches to the control of the match differed in both teams. Here’s a look at the lineups and formations they used:
Southampton (4-3-3 Formation):
Southampton lined up in the conventional 4-3-3 formation knowing that width is so important especially when conducting attacks. Their lineup was as follows:
– Goalkeeper: A. Ramsdale – Despite being only 24 years old, the Arsenal goalkeeper demonstrated confidence and accuracy most of the time, trying to widely intervene during armed attacks by Southampton.
– Defenders: Y. Sugawara, T. Harwood-Bellis, J. Bednarek, J. Bree – Quality midfield support from Harwood-Bellis and Bree and goal(s) that determined victory.
– Midfielders: J, Aribo, L. Ugochukwu, M. Fernandes – They dominated the midfield and were useful in conducting passes and keeping off the ball.
– Forwards: C. Archer, R. Fraser – Armstrong got Southampton an important goal, especially his penalty that made the team lead in the first half.
Stoke City (5-4-1 Formation):
Stoke City, therefore, had deployed a defense with 5 men at the back attacking formation being only 4 men upfront and one man in the middle with the formation being 5-4-1. Their lineup was as follows:
– Goalkeeper: J. Bonham – Came up with a number of important saves but it was difficult to deal with the pressure of Southampton’s forwards.
– Defenders: Sidibe, Thomas Seko, Johnny Thompson, Eric Bocat, Alan Philipps – Philipps impressed with a goal before the half term ensuring Stoke City did not lose ground.
– Midfielders: S. Koeppe-Smith could say the same in keeping Southampton from stringing passes together and offering whatever aid a sole forward could on fast breaks.
– Forward: T. Cannon – He equalized for Stoke from the twenty four alternating stroke and was a menace to the rival defense in the last half of the field.
Southampton vs Stoke City Match Statistics
In the aspect of controlling the ball, Southampton having 69% of ball possession successively illustrated the teams strengths, in terms of passing success rate. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the key match statistics:
– Shots: Southampton had more attempts at goal than Stoke City with 12 as compared to Stoke six clear illustration of intent and pressure on Stoke City defenders.
– Shots on Target: Southampton took a total of shots while Stoke City took shots of which only two were on target showing that Southampton was a more accurate side.
– Possession: The matches showed that Southampton seized a significant amount of control throughout the game getting 78% of the ball possession while Stoke City was only able to get 22%.
– Passes: Southampton made 807 passes while Stoke City made only 230 passes proving dominance on the ball.
– Pass Accuracy: Southampton successfully completed 93% of their passes whereas Stoke city successfully did so in 76% of attempted passes, East and Oliver demonstrate this that one team was able to move the ball a lot more than the other.
– Fouls: Southampton made five fouls they have been too busy trying to prevent Stoke City from making eleven fouls because they needed to stop the Saints from playing.
– Yellow Cards: Southampton was given 2 yellow cards while Stoke City was given only 1.
– Corners: Southampton was able to get 5 corner kicks, and Stoke City only earned 1.
Southampton vs Stoke City Match Highlights
High possession and an even better passing ration gave possession to Southampton in the middle of the game. The defense and midfield formation were very well coordinated for the team as well as launched several beautiful attacks for their forwards. In the slow moving match, Stoke City was continually overtaken but they were equally impressive as they fought from behind to get a 2-2 draw in the end. Nonetheless, Southampton had constant efforts in the final third, and that paid off in the dying embers of the match, thanks to James Bree.
Stoke City was also vulnerable in the midfield because Southampton was the better side in possession. Despite being able to get some counter attacking efforts, Stoke city defense line was under pressure all through resulting in fouls then to their defeat.
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