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Saints V Norwich City The Verdict

A comprehensive win against the Canaries that shows some people that we have the quality we just needed the kick start.

Saints kept their second clean sheet of the season in a row in the Premier League and it was this basis that allowed us to dominate the game and win easily, of course the sending off of Whittaker for a second yellow card in the first half was a help, but the writing was on the wall for the Canaries long before he was heading down the tunnel.

At the centre of much of Saints play was Dusan Tadic who looked sharp and inventive, add to that Romeu looked the part in the centre and Soares maruading down the left touchline and we looked to have a good pattern to our play, not to mention Pelle leading the line well and Mane running everywhere.

But for all our good ply we needed a goal and up to that moment on the very cusp of half time, there was always that nagging feeling that something would go wrong.

But one Pelle scored with a swivelling shot from close range there was never any doubt in the second half and Norwich looked like they were just looking for damage limitation, indeed their only shot on target came in the 2nd minute of injury time at the end of the game.

Of course there are still a few things that Saints need to sharpen up on, but when you consider that we still have Clasie and Bertrand to come back from injury, Wanyama to come back from sulking and perhaps a new signing, then we should be able to start to play with the swagger of last season.

First half though the crowd was restless, last season when we passed the ball around and kept possession it was seen as great possession football, this season there are those ho thought it was negative and lacking imagination.

But those people were proved wrong on the stroke of half time when a great move down the right saw Mane put in Pelle who smashed the ball home from fairly close range.

Ths was the break Saints needed and when Tadic curled home a great goal just after the hour Norwich were finished although in fairness Saints didnt let them get started. Tadic got his second after Pelle's header was well saved by Ruddy in the Norwich goal but Tadic was fastest to react to the rebound to make it three.

That has turned this into a good start for Saints Premier League season, not a great one but a good one that sees us only two points behind Manchester United in 5th as we sit in 10th.

We now have something to build on and if we do that in the coming weeks there is no reason why we should not replicate last season.

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