Southampton pulled off another shock Premier League result on New Year’s Day as they downed top-four challengers Tottenham Hotspur and moved five points clear of the relegation zone. It is an incredible testament to Ralph Hasenhuttl and his players and their excellent form of late has lifted them to 12th in the table having been in the bottom three just a few weeks ago. Against Spurs, their defence was excellent, and Jack Stephens stood out in particular.
The Englishman was commanding in the air as he and Jan Bednarek rose to win six aerial duels between them. Stephens was also on hand when Spurs attacks appeared threatening to make the third-highest number of tackles, two, of any player in red and white stripes. Furthermore, the 25-year-old displayed astute positional awareness and reactions to nip in and cut out Tottenham moves via interceptions on two occasions. But Stephens’ most impressive contribution was to completely rid the Saints of any danger with an enormous eight clearances, only Bednarek made more for the hosts.
No other defender controlled the ball as Stephens did, he had 39 passes, the highest of any Southampton defender, though his accuracy of 59 percent left a little to be desired. That was an issue across the whole of the Southampton side though, indicating they were either taking on high-risk passes or being heavily pressurised by Jose Mourinho’s side. Further evidence to suggest these passes were high risk comes in the form that Stephens attempted 14 long balls, seven of which reached their intended target.
The 25-year-old defenders’ most outstanding attacking contribution was providing a single accurate through ball, which provided the assist for yet another Danny Ings goal. It was a key pass that created a crucial opportunity the England international striker had no hesitation in burying. It meant the centre back doubled his tally of assists for the season as he has helped contribute in forward areas more than would be expected.
Southampton’s ascent up the table continued against Tottenham and Stephens will be hoping his fine form continues when they come up against Leicester City in their next Premier League game.
