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Leicester vs Southampton: Adams inspires superb Saints comeback win

joe prince-wright
·5 min read

Southampton fought back to win 2-1 at Leicester City, as Che Adams inspired the Saints to another rousing comeback.

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After fighting back from 2-0 down to grab a point against Leeds last weekend, Saints were 1-0 down in the second half as James Maddison whipped in a brilliant free kick.

However, substitute Che Adams scored twice to turn the game on its head and Ralph Hasenhuttl went wild at the final whistle as Saints secured their first win of the season.

They have four points from their first three games, while Leicester have one point and are yet to win.

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What we learned from Leicester vs Southampton

Foxes going through the motions: They had plenty of the ball throughout but aside from Maddison’s cheeky free kick, Leicester didn’t really force the issue. Leicester’s players weren’t taking responsibility and there is a malaise around the King Power Stadium right now. With Wesley Fofana being left out of the squad after being distracted by Chelsea’s ongoing pursuit of him, plus Youri Tielemans left on the bench, Brendan Rodgers has to reignite the hunger in his team after a summer of frugality and consolidation.

Southampton come to life after going behind: Just like their comeback draw against Leeds last weekend, Southampton only started to play when they were behind. The kings of dropping points from winning positions since Ralph Hasenhuttl has been in charge, there is a resilience about this young Saints side. Many of them are in their first season in the PL and perhaps if they went in to games with a little more confidence they could get more out of them. After conceding way too many goals last season, Saints needed to focus on shoring things up.

Tactical focus

Saints showed tactical flexibility to switch to a 4-2-3-1 from the start after playing in a 3-5-2 and 4-2-2-2 last week. Hasenhuttl’s side were solid enough defensively but they just couldn’t keep the ball well enough and their forwards were isolated. As for Leicester, they had plenty of the ball but struggled to create clear openings until Maddison’s moment of magic from a free kick. After that opener, Southampton came out of their shell and looked much better as Leicester sat too deep and invited pressure.

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Stars of the show

Kyle Walker-Peters: What a shift from the Saints right back who had quality on the ball and was always an option in attack. He is pushing hard to be in England’s squad for the World Cup.

Che Adams: What an impact off the bench. He was carrying a knock in the week but was fit enough to come off the bench and the Scotland international scored two to turn the game around. He also hit the post in the 96th minute as he almost scored a hat trick.

Armel Bella-Kotchap: The young German defender kept Jamie Vardy at bay and the 20-year-old looks a real talent.

James Maddison: Whipped in a lovely free kick in the first half which Bazunu pushed away and scored with a cheeky free kick in the second. His class on the ball remains.

What’s next?

Leicester travel to Chelsea on Saturday, Aug. 27, while Southampton host Manchester United on the same day.

How to watch Leicester vs Southampton live, stream link and start time

Kick off: 10am ET, Saturday
TV Channel: USA Network
Online: Stream via NBCSports.com

Key storylines

Leicester haven’t signed anybody this summer and there are concerns Brendan Rodgers’ side may lose Wesley Fofana, Youri Tielemans and Jamie Vardy before the transfer window closes. After losing Kasper Schmeichel earlier this month, the Foxes are battling to keep their squad together after a summer of frugality. Fofana seems the most likely to leave as Chelsea want to sign the talented French defender, 21, and a world-record fee could arrive. Rodgers has done a fine job to lead Leicester to fifth, fifth and eighth place finishes over the last three seasons (with an FA Cup trophy, long European runs and a Community Shield win to boot) but it feels like his project is on the verge of collapsing.

As for Southampton, well, they’ve gone with a risky recruitment strategy this summer but last weekend against Leeds it did show some signs of bearing fruit, long term. Gavin Bazunu, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Romeo Lavia, Joe Aribo and Sekou Mara have all arrived this summer and aside from Aribo they are all 21 and under. Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl is under pressure after a poor finish to last season but they have been handed a very tough start by the fixtures computer, so we shouldn’t really judge Saints until the break in November.

In-form players to keep an eye on

James Maddison and Jamie Vardy remain Leicester’s go-to guys, while Wesley Fofana continues to impress as Chelsea chase his signature. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall continues to improve and is set for a breakout campaign.

Southampton’s Romeo Lavia, 18, could be one of the best signings of the summer, while Sekou Mara had a huge impact off the bench in his Premier League debut. Saints’ James Ward-Prowse continues to ooze quality.

Leicester team news, injuries, lineup

Ricardo Pereira will be out for six months after he ruptured his Achilles, while Ryan Bertrand is out with a knee injury. Harvey Barnes recovered from a knee injury to start. A report from The Athletic said that Fofana has been asked to be kept out of Leicester’s squad for this game due to the ongoing interest in him from Chelsea, and he is not in the matchday squad.

Southampton team news, injuries, lineup

Theo Walcott and Tino Livramento remain out, while Romain Perraud is out with a foot injury. Lyanco and Che Adams have recovered from small issues and are on the bench, while Hasenhuttl has brought Mara, Adam Armstrong and Joe Aribo into the starting lineup after their impact off the bench last week against Leeds.

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Leicester vs Southampton: Adams inspires superb Saints comeback win originally appeared on NBCSports.com