Poor performance, but the win sure takes the sting away.
Honestly, we struggled tactically today. Southampton put their three attackers on our three CBs and we couldn't pass through them. So we tried to go long, but Hojland couldn't keep the ball. Mazraoui sat insanely deep and we ended up a man short when we pressed, and with Yoro getting roasted for an hour, it made for a tough watch. We got frustrated, they get motivated by our struggles, and we were lucky to only be 1-0 down by the time Amad stepped up.
Zirkzee made a huge difference. Whatever his other shortcomings, he's certainly good at holding up the ball. Suddenly the long ball over their front line is on again, and we're getting runners from midfield alongside him. It meant they were turning and facing their own goal all of a sudden, with a problem to deal with. The game changed when he came on. Not even because he was particularly outstanding, but simply because it negated their tactical approach.
Still, at the end of they, this is going to be the story of the rest of the season in my opinion. Ups and downs, a bright performance, a flat performance, a good result here, a bad result there. At least today we go away happy with the three points and a memorable hat trick.