Life is never dull under the reign of Ralph Hasenhuttl and the past two games are further evidence of that in what has been an exciting season so far. Matt gives his take on the past couple of weeks.
I, as I’m sure many Saints fans did, had a good feeling heading into game against Manchester United at St Mary’s and, while it may have been slightly against the run of play, a 2-0 lead at half-time seemed to affirm that confidence.
Sadly, Hasenhuttl’s men were unable to maintain the energy levels and pressure they applied in the first half and were undone by the quality of substitute striker Edinson Cavani whose assist and two goals saw United steal all three points at the death.
Despite it being bitterly disappointing to see a two-goal lead slip towards looking like a point before ending the game empty handed, it was a good effort and demonstrated Saints’ ability to push the boundaries against the league’s major players.
However, it was clear the game was slipping away throughout the second half and that there was no option available to stem the tide or reverse it, leaving a feeling that one goal would lead to more - and, of course, it did.
Perhaps that laid bare the reasons why it will always be difficult for clubs outside of the top six when it comes to having the ability to break in - or even change the flow of games - when key personnel are missing.
After the deflation of that defeat, all eyes turned to Monday night’s trip to Brighton to see if Saints could get back to winning ways and push back up to fifth place on 20 points after just 11 games - leapfrogging both Manchester clubs in the process.
So it was music to the ears of all Saints fans to hear Danny Ings would be returning to the squad after knee surgery and taking a place among the substitutes - along with winger Nathan Redmond who had missed two games with a hamstring injury.
Although it looked as though Hasenhuttl’s side were still struggling to find the stride that has made them such an unexpected force in the league this season, it was clear the win was for the taking against a Seagulls outfit that had not won one of their previous nine home games.
Both Ings and Redmond took to the field in the second half to help Saints to a 1-2 victory, with the former bagging the winner from the penalty spot - as the result of a hotly-debated VAR decision - on his return.
Centre-back Jannik Vestergaard, who headed home the equaliser on Monday night, reinforced the fragility of Saints’ squad in an interview with the Daily Echo yesterday, stating: "We’re not the Man Citys of the world, so we need our players fit as much as possible.
"We did miss these two players a bit in the last couple of weeks. Now they’re back, it definitely gives us some confidence and a boost going forward. On Monday we subbed them on in the second half and they came on and made a difference.”
Both games provided much entertainment and, having been unbeaten in seven prior to the last-gasp defeat to United, the win at Brighton has comfortably put that disappointment to bed - particularly with the return of two first team mainstays and a first squad outing for summer centre back signing Mohammed Salisu.
That bodes well for the next two fixtures, with six points certainly possible from the visit of Sheffield United and trip to Arsenal before Hasenhuttl has the chance to pit his wits against another of the league’s top managerial brains in Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola.
Undoubtedly there is more excitement ahead and I wouldn’t expect anything less with the Austrian at the helm.