Southampton registered their second win of the new campaign on Saturday, narrowly edging past Sheffield United 1-0 at Bramall Lane.
Considering their opponents – Premier League newcomers Sheffield United – have had a promising start to their season, losing just one of their opening four games prior to Saturday’s match, it can be deemed as an extremely good result away from home and considerable step in the right direction for the Saints.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men now sit 10th after this weekend’s round of results and look to be a much more assured side after beginning the campaign poorly.
Summer signing Moussa Djenepo stole the headlines with a quality performance. The Belgian scored the only goal of the game and registered two shots on target, whilst achieving a hugely impressive pass completion rate of 86.7%, per WhoScored.
It was Djenepo’s second goal of the season after he found the net in Saints’ 2-0 win away at Brighton last month, and a telling sign of the young winger’s rising confidence at the moment.
Away from the 21-year-old, though, and it was another player who shone brightly for the visitors in South Yorkshire. Sofiane Boufal was superb against the Blades, with WhoScored rating his overall performance an 8.27/10. The Moroccan wide man made two key passes and registered a shot on target, alongside 10 dribbles – showing his effectiveness while Saints were on the attack.
After spending time away from Southampton last season – on loan at Celta Vigo – Boufal has seemingly returned to his parent club an invigorated player this season.
The former Lille winger has already notched two assists for the southerners this term, and continues to stake his claim to be part of Hasenhuttl’s starting XI moving forward.
Should he continue to display this type of performance for the club, Hasenhuttl is sure to have a selection headache on his hands, with Djenepo, Boufal and Nathan Redmond all vying for a starting spot out wide.
Saints fans, how impressed have you been with Boufal’s start to the campaign? Let us know in the comments!
