Sidelined Southampton ace names biggest factor that led them outperform Man City | OneFootball

Will Smallbone explains how Southampton took a half-time lead over Liverpool where even clubs like Manchester City couldn't succeed.

You would agree that the last Premier League matchdays have been quite harsh on Southampton. Lots of goals conceded, lots of criticisms and ultimately, tons of disappointment for Saints fans in turn.

Still, it feels amidst relegation fears, we haven't acknowledged the latest games enough. After all, Southampton just played their best and worst games of this campaign.

While the club's performance peaked against table-toppers Liverpool, though for a half only, a Wolves loss has gotten them almost relegated.

But hey, enough of Wolves' loss talks. Instead, why not recall that first-half Anfield performance, now that we're in the final stage of the season?

Well, though Southampton lost that matchday, they achieved something even clubs like Man City haven't done this season. It was frustrating the Reds in front of their own 60,000 people over an impressive 45 minutes.

To cap it off, came that Will Smallbone's bliss goal, igniting the hopes of every Southampton fan watching.

Naturally, who better to ask than the goalscorer himself, as to what led to that sensational Anfield show? To say, as Smallbone revealed, it was a brilliant defensive effort backed by necessitated luck.

Smallbone acknowledges defense and thanks luck for that Anfield half

As quoted by the Daily Echo, his words emphasized their lucky fortune, saying: "I think we probably had that in the first half, or maybe we made our own luck with strong defending. They had chances, but not clear-cut ones."

To note, this spectacular backline performance was delivered when Southampton had got their leader Jan Bednarek injured. But, again, maybe it was the veteran's absence that cost them a Liverpool comeback.

So what does this game teach us? Probably, though results aren't coming in the club's favour, it doesn't imply a lack of quality. Instead, Southampton's current mentality is what restricts them from finishing on the winning side.

Hopefully, now that Johannes Spors has arrived, this changes for the better.