Southampton

Having failed to win in their opening seven league matches, it would have been easy for Boro’s players to have crumbled when Adam Armstrong opened the scoring at the Riverside Stadium.

Instead, they continued trying to play their football and were rewarded when Riley McGree rifled home an equaliser on the stroke of half-time.

With Southampton fading, Middlesbrough were the better team for most of the second half and they secured the win that lifted them off the foot of the Sky Bet Championship table when Josh Coburn was pulled down by Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Jonny Howson slotting home from the penalty spot.

Carrick said: “It’s hugely positive. I just said to them in the dressing room, I was standing on the touchline in the second half thinking, ‘whatever happens here, I couldn’t ask any more of any of the players’.

“I speak a lot about how strong the group are, but words are words and some people might not believe what I’m saying. But it’s times where you’re tested where you see people’s true characters come out. That’s when you see what people are about and you saw that today.

“We started well, but we went a goal behind and it wouldn’t have come easy for them to put in the performance and the effort that they did.

“You could see the togetherness and the spirit, and that’s what made me most proud. The win came and that was brilliant. I was standing there on the touchline in the second half really proud of them anyway. That’s more powerful than a one-off result.”

Having started the season as one the favourites to win promotion, Boro have underperformed in the first six weeks of the campaign, but Carrick feels his players will emerge stronger because of their struggles.

He said: “I think that will help us moving forward and we’ll be stronger for the way we’ve all stuck together when it hasn’t quite been going so well.

“The supporters are included in that – to see the stadium like that at the end, with everyone enjoying it and celebrating, was great. It’s one game, but it’s not so much the one game and the result, it’s the overall feeling and collective support we feel that is the most important thing.”

Southampton started the season reasonably strongly, but have now suffered four successive defeats, with manager Russell Martin admitting his players are suffering a hangover from last season’s relegation.

Martin said: “The mentality needs to change. We had the game where we wanted it, but then for some reason, we let the game fall out of our grasp and slip. That’s a mentality problem, it’s not a lack of effort, for sure. The players are working extremely hard, but it’s not a quick fix at the club.

“It’s been a tough however long it’s been – certainly a tough year or 18 months. There’s a huge hangover from that, probably bigger than we thought. But we’ll continue to give everything we can and build into a better team and a better club.

“We want to give the fans a team to be proud of, but at the minute, we’re going through a really tough moment. We need the supporters more than ever, but we understand their frustration. We have to keep working, it’s as simple as that.”

Michael Carrick’s side looked to be heading for another difficult afternoon when Adam Armstrong slotted home a 17th-minute opener.

However, after Riley McGree fired the Teessiders level just before half-time, Jonny Howson claimed a welcome winner from the penalty spot midway through the second half.

The victory lifts Middlesbrough off the foot of the Sky Bet Championship table, while defeat for Southampton means Russell Martin’s side have now suffered four losses in row.

The Saints have suffered a nosedive since starting the season reasonably strongly, but it did not take them long to start creating chances in the north-east.

They should really have taken the lead after 10 minutes, but while Will Smallbone teed up Che Adams after Darragh Lenihan gave the ball away deep in his own half, the Scotland international fired wide from the edge of the area.

Seven minutes later, however, and more Middlesbrough sloppiness did no go unpunished. This time it was Matt Crooks conceding possession in his own half and after Adams threaded a ball behind the home defence, Armstrong burst between Lenihan and Lewis O’Brien to slot a low finish into the bottom corner.

Middlesbrough’s edginess and general lack of confidence was clearly evident, but the hosts almost grabbed an equaliser just before the half-hour mark.

Josh Coburn sent Isaiah Jones racing into the right-hand side of the area, and while the winger’s shot was rolling wide of the far post, it initially looked as though McGree would be able to turn the ball home. A stretching McGree made contact at the far post, but could only prod the ball back across the goal-line, enabling the Saints defence to hack clear.

McGree and Jones were Boro’s best players for most of the afternoon and they combined to level the scores a minute before the interval. Jones’ pressing enabled him to nick possession off a dawdling Mason Holgate and the ball broke to McGree, who swept home an excellent low finish from 20 yards.

Jones went close for Boro at the start of the second half, firing in a low shot that Gavin Bazunu saved, but with the game flowing from end to end, Lenihan almost handed Southampton a second goal as he prodded Ryan Fraser’s cross just wide of his own goal.

Another goal felt inevitable and it arrived in the 66th minute. Hayden Hackney slid over a low cross from the right and Saints defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis tugged down Coburn on the edge of the six-yard box.

Referee Tim Robinson pointed to the spot and Howson stepped up to claim his first goal of the season.

Coburn wasted a good chance to make the game safe with 10 minutes remaining, shooting into the legs of Bazunu. McGree went even closer to claiming a third Boro goal when he fired Coburn’s late cross against the base of a post.

Harris returned to the Den for his second stint as manager, having become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer over two spells as a player, this week after Joe Edwards had been sacked.

And he began this tenure by stunting a run of just one point in seven games after Tanganga’s header and Flemming’s penalty kept the Lions out the relegation zone.

Southampton have now lost three of their last four matches to lose touching distance in the automatic promotion race – all seven of their league defeats this season have come in either September or February.

Harris’ newest era at the club began in perfect style. He had already received a homecoming reaction from the loud away fans, before celebrating an opener inside five minutes.

George Saville floated a tantalising free-kick into the heart of the penalty box, where Tanganga had freed himself from his marker to bravely head in before getting a blow in the back from goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.

It was the Tottenham loanee centre-back’s first professional goal.

The goal was accompanied by a chant of “Super Neil Harris” as Millwall fans made it clear they supported their fourth boss of the campaign.

Southampton dominated possession and started to create chances. Tanganga continued his impressive streak by leaping back onto his own goal-line to thwart an Adams header, while David Brooks curled wide.

Adams converted a header in the 34th minute to level the game, the striker glancing Stuart Armstrong’s perfectly-weighted cross in for his 11th goal of the season.

Brooks had an effort cleared off the line, by Shaun Cooper, before the Lions regained the lead two minutes before the break when former Southampton striker Michael Obafemi’s shot cannoned into Jan Bednarek’s arm.

Dutchman Flemming converted the penalty, via the post, for his seventh goal of the season.

It meant Saints had conceded two goals for the third successive home match.

Southampton reorganised at the break and produced three chances within the first four minutes of the restart.

Kyle Walker-Peters and Stuart Armstrong tried their luck from outside the box, but fired over, before Adams flicked over from close range.

Joe Rothwell came off the bench and should have equalised when he met a loose ball on the penalty spot, but he tamely skidded a shot straight at goalkeeper Matija Sarkic.

Sarkic was finally forced into a difficult save in the 89th minute when he swooped low to keep out Adam Armstrong’s header.

However, Millwall held on to provide Harris with the perfect start and give the manager a double over Southampton – having beaten them in the Carabao Cup when he was Gillingham boss in August.

Club legend Harris answered the Lions’ SOS after Joe Edwards was sacked this week to begin a fourth stint at the south-east London club.

He was rewarded with Tottenham loanee Japhet Tanganga bagging his first professional goal for the club and Zian Flemming stroking in from the penalty spot.

Harris was serenaded with chants of “Super Neil Harris” throughout and said: “Thank you to the fan-base, not just for my welcome that they gave me on the touchline but also for supporting my players like that.

“That’s what we need between now and the end of the season.

“The fans needed that performance and that result – in unison that is a great result for this club.

“Millwall teams always have to find a way, they’ve always had to find a way.

“Some of the performances were some of the best performances of the season for some individuals.

“You don’t have to be the best player in the pitch to be appreciated by the fans at the Den. You have to epitomise what a Millwall fan would do if they were on the pitch.

“That was me, I was never the best player on the pitch but I always worked harder than everyone else on it.

“That’s the message I have put in and then build a way around the ball with that. When the chips are down it is about heart, and we had that in abundance today.”

Tanganga bravely nodded in George Saville’s long floated free-kick in the fifth minute to give the Lions a shock lead.

Che Adams hit back for Saints when he glanced Stuart Armstrong’s delightful delivery into the box under the goalkeeper.

But after Jan Bednarek’s handball just before half time, Flemming sent Gavin Bazunu the wrong way to secure Millwall’s first win since New Year’s Day.

Harris said he could have praised each of his players but picked out Tanganga’s performance in both boxes for a special mention.

He said: “If he wants to be a Millwall centre-half he has to be brave at both ends of the pitch.

“I thought we defended our box superbly today and Japhet was outstanding, absolutely excellent.”

Southampton have now lost three of their last four matches to bring their club-record 25-game unbeaten run to a shuddering stop.

Angry Russell Martin, who saw his side fall five points behind second-placed Leeds, said: “We’ll be fine [in the promotion race].

“We’ve got eight weeks left of the season and still have the chance to be incredibly exciting and get rewarded but like we did before we have to stand up and be counted now.

“We will work hard to find a way through and make sure this run doesn’t last too long.

“We concede two crap goals. That’s it today.

“We had three massive chances and should score. It’s not normal to create that many big chances against a team in a low block.

“We should score but don’t. It’s nothing to do with tactics. If people want to talk about all that stuff, it’s not that. We conceded two rubbish goals.

“How we don’t deal with the free-kick, I don’t know. Maybe there is an offside, I haven’t seen it but the feeling from the analysts is that there is. It’s a floated cross and it loops into our goal.

“For the second goal, we don’t clear it twice and it ends up across our box for a penalty. That is the story of the game, nothing else – not tactics.”

The Brazilian attacker's delightful pass had allowed Pablo Sarabia to open the scoring at Molineux with only one minute and 48 seconds on the clock. 

It was Wolves' fastest-ever Premier League goal, eclipsing Matt Jarvis’ strike against Blackpool in February 2011 (1:56).

But Cunha did not stop there as he wrote his name on the scoresheet with a stunning strike from distance to put Wolves two to the good six minutes into the second half. 

"Cunha is huge for us. He has such ability but he is one of those players who drifts and takes up positions," O'Neil told BBC Sport after the game. 

"We work very hard on him - on how it is to be a trusted team player when we don't have the ball. He's worked very hard on it after I spoke harshly to him after Brentford away.

"It's a big win for us and Cunha had a big say in it."

Using Opta data, we have already examined some of the worst attacking and passing numbers from 2019-20, so now it's the turn of the defence.

We have analysed nine metrics for defenders to have featured in at least 10 league games this season, thereby giving us a good summary of those whose defending could use some improvement.

The metrics include success rates in duels, tackling and aerial challenges, errors leading to shots and goals and how many times a player has been dribbled past by an opponent.

As always when it comes to data, context is key. For success rates in duels, tackling and aerial challenges we have only included players who have completed 20 actions in each category, which accounts to two per game.

The below therefore provides a good indication on where improvement is needed, and there are a few surprising names…

THE WORST DEFENDING STATS IN EUROPE'S TOP-FIVE LEAGUES 2019-20:

BUNDESLIGA:

Most tackles lost: William (29)
Worst tackle success: Alexander Hack (40.91 per cent)
Most errors leading to goals: Robin Koch (3)
Most errors leading to shots (including goals): Robin Koch (3)
Most dribbled past by an opponent: William (32)
Most duels lost: Stefan Lainer(125)
Worst duel success: Julian Ryerson (35 per cent)
Most aerials lost: Robin Koch and Sven Bender (56)
Worst aerial success: Christian Gunter (22.86 per cent)

LALIGA:

Most tackles lost: Pervis Estupinan (34)
Worst tackle success: Nacho Monreal (40 per cent)
Most errors leading to goals: Joseph Aidoo and Sergio Ramos (2)
Most errors leading to shots (including goals): Pervis Estupinan (5)
Most dribbled past by an opponent: Marc Cucurella (35)
Most duels lost: Marc Cucurella (167)
Worst duel success: Daniel Carrico (40.3 per cent)
Most aerials lost: Didac Vila (55)
Worst aerial success: Xavi Quintilla (25.71 per cent)

LIGUE 1:

Most tackles lost: Boubacar Kamara (33)
Worst tackle success: Lionel Carole (34.78 per cent)
Most errors leading to goals: Sofiane Alakouch, Timothee Kolodziejczak and Stefan Mitrovic(2)
Most errors leading to shots (including goals): Wesley Fofana, Alexander Djiku and Malang Sarr(4)
Most dribbled past by an opponent: Arturo Calabresi (42)
Most duels lost: Issiaga Sylla(161)
Worst duel success: Colin Dagba (40 per cent)
Most aerials lost: Pablo Martinez (59)
Worst aerial success: Hamza Mendyl(17.39 per cent)

PREMIER LEAGUE:

Most tackles lost: Ricardo Pereira (50)
Worst tackle success: Calum Chambers (38.46 per cent)
Most errors leading to goals: Jan Bednarek (3)
Most errors leading to shots (including goals): Jan Bednarek, Tyrone Mings, John Egan, Davinson Sanchez and James Tarkowski (4)
Most dribbled past by an opponent: Ricardo Pereira(53)
Most duels lost: Ricardo Pereira (215)
Worst duel success: Benjamin Mendy (37.38 per cent)
Most aerials lost: Ben Mee (84)
Worst aerial success: Max Aarons (26.09 per cent)

SERIE A:

Most tackles lost: Matteo Darmian (32)
Worst tackle success: Andrea Cistana (40 per cent)
Most errors leading to goals: Jhon Chancellor, Fabio Lucioni, Jose Luis Palomino, Alex Sandro (2)
Most errors leading to shots (including goals): Fabio Lucioni (5)
Most dribbled past by an opponent: Stefano Sabelli (40)
Most duels lost: Giovanni Di Lorenzo (126)
Worst duel success: Hans Hateboer (40.63 per cent)
Most aerials lost: Mattia Bani (57)
Worst aerial success: Jeremy Toljan (28.00 per cent)

AND THE TOP NINE:

Most tackles lost: Ricardo Pereira (50)
Worst tackle success: Lionel Carole (34.78 per cent)
Most errors leading to goals: Robin Koch and Jan Bednarek(3)
Most errors leading to shots (including goals): Pervis Estupinan and Fabio Lucioni (5)
Most dribbled past by an opponent: Ricardo Pereira(53)
Most duels lost: Ricardo Pereira (215)
Worst duel success: Julian Ryerson (35 per cent)
Most aerials lost: Ben Mee (84)
Worst aerial success: Hamza Mendyl (17.39 per cent)

The new Chelsea co-owner – and chairman and interim sporting director – was speaking at a conference on Tuesday when he proposed the Premier League 'Americanised' (or should that be 'Americanized'?) itself a bit.

A relegation play-off tournament between the bottom four teams was one idea; but the other, which attracted most of the headlines, was for a North v South 'All-Star' game, pointing out Major League Baseball (MLB) in his native United States made $200million from such an event this year.

A potential Premier League 'All-Stars' game was the talk of football media on Tuesday, so at Stats Perform we decided to have a look at who might line up for the North and South.

It was decided the north-south cut-off point would see Nottingham Forest qualify for the North, ensuring each All-Stars team had 10 clubs to select from.

First up, we have unrestricted squads, so essentially the very best teams possible; then, we have squads that are limited to three players from each club and every single Premier League must have at least a single player selected. So, without any further ado, let's see who made the cut…

NORTH ALL-STARS (unrestricted)

4-3-3: Ederson (Manchester City); Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Andrew Robertson (Liverpool); Rodri (Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Phil Foden (Manchester City); Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Luis Diaz (Liverpool).

SUBS: Alisson (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Joao Cancelo (Manchester City), Raphael Varane (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Fabinho (Liverpool), Casemiro (Manchester United), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United).

You knew the starting XI was going to look like that even before reading, didn't you? Manchester City and Liverpool obviously dominated the first team here, but it feels difficult to argue with almost any selection here.

The goalkeeper choice was probably the toughest, but only because Ederson and Alisson are both so strong and simultaneously significantly better than any other eligible shot stoppers in terms of their all-round game – Ederson ultimately got the nod owing to 13 more clean sheets over the past three-and-a-bit years, but either could've got the gig.

Similarly in defence, many of the North's options pick themselves. The centre-backs, Van Dijk and Dias, have each won the Premier League Player of the Season award in the past four years, while Alexander-Arnold and Robertson have at least 12 most assists than any other defender since the start of the 2019-20 season.

While the defence had a distinctively Liverpool look to it, City dominate the midfield because… well, they tend to dominate the midfield. Rodri provides the control and defensive protection, while Foden and De Bruyne can wreak havoc going forward and towards the flanks.

Salah and Haaland were obvious picks in attack. The Egyptian has been involved in 96 goals (66 scored, 30 assisted) since the start of the 2019-20 season, more than anyone else, while Haaland is arguably the most in-form striker in world football, having already netted 12 times in seven games for City.

Luis Diaz was perhaps the most uncertain one, but he's quickly become a key figure at Liverpool. His ability to cut inside or head for the byline makes him an unpredictable asset, and he's something of a double threat in terms of goals and creativity.

Cristiano Ronaldo's appearance on the bench owes much to his solid goal-scoring form last season.

SOUTHERN ALL-STARS (unrestricted)

4-2-3-1:Hugo Lloris (Tottenham); Reece James (Chelsea), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal); Declan Rice (West Ham), N'Golo Kante (Chelsea); Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Son Heung-min (Tottenham); Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal).

SUBS: Edouard Mendy (Chelsea), Thiago Silva (Chelsea), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Jorginho (Chelsea), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Martin Odegaard (Arsenal), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace), Ivan Toney (Brentford).

This team has it all. A World Cup-winning goalkeeper, a defence with an ideal blend of youth and experience, a combative midfield and four world-class attackers.

Lloris gets the nod in net. He's been one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the league since his arrival from Lyon 10 years ago, and based on Opta's expected goals on target (xGOT) conceded metric, Lloris has prevented 3.8 goals since the start of the 2020-21 season, significantly better than his South All-Stars back-up, Chelsea's Edouard Mendy (-3.8).

Chelsea star James is the right-back, with his 16 goal contributions (six goals, 10 assists) since the start of last season topping the charts for a defender. Koulibaly and Romero are a formidable centre-back pairing, while Zinchenko has four Premier League titles to his name from his time at Manchester City.

James and Zinchenko are brilliant attacking full-backs, but the defence will need screening, and that is where Kante and Rice come into their own. Both super ball-winners, Kante's relentless energy will be complemented by Rice's ability on the ball, as he has demonstrated at West Ham.

That midfield protection will be needed, with a four-pronged attack ready to lay waste to the North's defence.

Sterling might not have made a flying start at Chelsea but is the best pick on the right wing, with Son – who shared the league's golden boot award last season – on the opposite wing. Kane will play a slightly deeper role, behind Jesus, who has had more touches in the opposition box (66), attempted more dribbles (34), more dribbles in the box (8) and won more fouls (21) than any other player in the Premier League this season.

NORTHERN ALL-STARS (restricted)

4-2-3-1: Jordan Pickford (Jordan Pickford); Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Vigil van Dijk (Liverpool), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Andrew Robertson (Liverpool); Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City); Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Pedro Neto (Wolves); Erling Haaland (Manchester City).

SUBS: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Diego Carlos (Aston Villa), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Renan Lodi (Nottingham Forest), James Maddison (Leicester City), Youri Tielemans (Leicester City), Jack Harrison (Leeds United), Antony Gordon (Everton), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United).

Our self-imposed restrictions of no more than three players from a given team gives the North All-Stars a distinctly different feel – nevertheless, Van Dijk, Dias, Robertson, De Bruyne, Salah and Haaland retain their places, for obvious reasons.

Probably the biggest casualty is Alexander-Arnold, but the North benefits from having another excellent forward-thinking option at right-back in Trippier, while Jordan Pickford starts between the posts – David de Gea was another option here, but the England international is better with his feet.

Bruno Guimaraes comes into the midfield, offering a valuable combination of bite and craft, while Fernandes will take up the number 10 position with De Bruyne dropping a little deeper – this shouldn't stifle the team's creativity too much given the Belgian is the only player with more chances created (239) than Fernandes (224) since the latter's Premier League debut.

The other new face in attack is Pedro Neto. Perhaps a wildcard choice, but the Portugal international is an exciting winger with lots of pace and trickery. While Salah will cut in off the opposite flank, Neto looks to get crosses into the box, and that could be an effective route to goal knowing the predatory instincts Haaland has.

Again, Ronaldo is held back in reserve.

SOUTHERN ALL-STARS (restricted)

4-3-3: Robert Sanchez (Brighton and Hove Albion); Reece James (Chelsea), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal); James Ward-Prowse (Southampton), Declan Rice (West Ham), Mason Mount (Chelsea); Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Son Heung-min (Tottenham).

SUBS:Neto (Bournemouth), Ben Mee (Brentford), Tariq Lamptey (Brighton and Hove Albion), Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Lucas Paqueta (West Ham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace), Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford).

Robert Sanchez has been a standout performer for Brighton under the now Chelsea boss Graham Potter, and he replaces Lloris now the restrictions have come into play. He has kept 24 league clean sheets since making his debut in November 2020, which trails only four other goalkeepers.

James, Romero and Zinchenko all keep their places in defence, though Koulibaly does not. He makes way for Joachim Andersen, who has been excellent since signing for Crystal Palace in 2021.

We have switched to a midfield three for this side, with Rice staying in the team but playing a deeper, anchoring role. Alongside him are two new faces in the form of England team-mates Ward-Prowse and Mount. Both provide energy and creativity in abundance.

Ward-Prowse's set-piece quality – no midfielder has scored more goals or created more chances from set plays since the start of last season as the Southampton captain – is a huge threat, while Mount has contributed to 21 league goals since the beginning of 2021-22.

Jesus is the unlucky striker to drop out of the starting XI, though he is on the bench, with Sterling, Kane and Son leading the line.

Sacking season may be drawing closer. Seven games into 2024-25, some managers might already have reason to worry.

While Everton's Sean Dyche and Leicester City's Steve Cooper are among those to have eased the pressure with crucial victories in recent weeks, and Oliver Glasner will likely get more time at Crystal Palace, three other bosses are under scrutiny already.

Manchester United's worst start to any Premier League season after seven games has seen Erik ten Hag come in for heavy criticism, while Wolves and Southampton are yet to record a single victory, meaning Gary O'Neil and Russell Martin could soon come under fire.

But what does the data say about the shortcomings of those sides, and what might lie ahead for each of them? Let's find out.

Erik ten Hag (Man Utd)

A goalless draw at Aston Villa on Sunday may have stopped the rot for United, but the Red Devils enter the October international break mired in 14th, with just eight points. 

They last won fewer points through seven matches of any season in 1989-90, when Alex Ferguson's men finished 13th in the old First Division.

Ten Hag admitted after Sunday's game that United's start was not good enough, though he did hail their organisation and put their struggles down to shortcomings in the final third.

The data certainly supports the idea their main issues are in attack, though the idea Ten Hag has fixed things at the back is seemingly wide of the mark.

Last season, United were continually criticised for giving up opportunities, with only Luton Town (79.77), Sheffield United (77.49), West Ham (72.15) and Burnley (71.92) permitting a higher expected goals against (xGA) figure than their 70.08. Three of those teams were, of course, relegated.

Only six teams have given up better chances than United this term, though a huge 4.59 of their total 11.54 xGA was conceded in one game – the 3-0 home defeat to Spurs on matchday six. With eight goals conceded, Ten Hag's men may have been fortunate to come up against some wasteful opponents.

At the other end, United have netted just five times – only in 1972-73 (four) have they scored fewer through their first seven matches of a top-flight season.

Their current run of three league games without a goal, meanwhile, has equalled their worst streak in the competition under Ten Hag (runs of three in both December 2023 and April 2023).

United's five goals have come from 11.11 xG, making them the league's highest underperformers, scoring 6.11 goals fewer than expected given their quality of chances created. Their shot conversion rate of 5.62%, meanwhile, is worse than all but Southampton (5.26%) and Palace (5.43%), who are both winless.

While Ten Hag's transitional style of play has been blamed for United's defensive issues, what can he do to improve their fortunes in attack?

To an extent, he has been let down by individuals underperforming. Captain Bruno Fernandes, whose 54 Premier League goals since arriving in January 2020 are more than any other Red Devils team-mate, has failed to score from chances worth 1.9 xG this term – the highest figure accumulated by any player yet to net in the Premier League.

Alejandro Garnacho (one goal from 2.38 xG) and Joshua Zirkzee (one goal from 2.44 xG) have also underperformed, though it should be acknowledged that an injury to Rasmus Hojlund – who scored 16 times in all competitions last season – has not helped.

Ultimately, though, Ten Hag can have few complaints about United's predicament. According to Opta's expected points model, the Red Devils could only expect to be 10th in the table, just 2.4 points better off than they are in reality.

If United stick with the Dutchman, he may need a run of results immediately after the international break, ahead of a festive fixture list featuring trips to Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool.

Brentford and West Ham are their next two league opponents, before Chelsea visit Old Trafford on November 3. A Europa League clash with Fenerbahce – and former United boss Jose Mourinho – will bring more intrigue on October 24.

The Opta supercomputer shows little faith in Ten Hag's ability to turn things around. United were assigned an 18.8% chance of a top-four finish, which has now dropped to just 2.5%.

Russell Martin (Southampton)

Promoted as play-off victors following their victory over Leeds United at Wembley in May, Southampton were expected by many to struggle on their return to the top flight.

But a return of just one point from seven matches will still be viewed as disappointing, particularly given they have already welcomed the likes of Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest to St Mary's.

Across this season and the 2022-23 campaign, Saints are now winless in 20 Premier League matches, equalling their longest such streak in the top flight (also 20 between August and December 1969).

Supporters have, quite simply, grown weary of losing matches. And while Martin's progressive, possession-based style might be easy on the eye, results are king when battling to remain in the Premier League, and patience is a virtue.

The chief criticism that Vincent Kompany received during Burnley's relegation campaign in 2023-24 was one of naivety, and it has not taken long for Martin's Saints to get similar treatment. 

Their average possession share of 57.42% is enough to rank them fifth in the league, behind only Manchester City (63.47%), Tottenham (62.44%), Liverpool (60.25%) and Brighton (58.5%). 

However, it has too often been a case of possession without punch, with Southampton's four goals scored being the fewest in the division. Their xG underperformance of -4.34, meanwhile, is the second-worst in the league, behind United's.

Missing chances has not been Southampton's only issue, with their 165 touches in the opposition box being the sixth-fewest in the league, despite their 5,117 total touches being the fourth-most.

Another major criticism of Martin's side, who look to build from the back at every opportunity, relates to their tendency to put themselves in trouble. They have made the most errors leading to goals (six) and shots (10) in the league this season.

Southampton's opponents, meanwhile, have forced turnovers through pressures in the final third on 81 occasions. Only Brentford, Chelsea (both 91) and United (82) have given up more.

The chances of Martin ditching his masterplan appear slim, but greater pragmatism and flexibility may be required if Southampton are to give themselves a chance of survival.

Martin's achievement in getting Southampton back to the Premier League – and the manner in which he did it – will likely mean he gets more time. But their next game, at home to fellow promoted side Leicester on October 19, is a big one, while they also face fellow strugglers Everton and Wolves before mid-November.

In the Opta supercomputer's season predictions, Southampton are now relegated in a huge 90.8% of scenarios, finishing bottom in 59.1%. No other team has more than a 14.8% chance of propping up the table.

Gary O'Neil (Wolves)

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the season to date is Wolves' position at the foot of the pile, after they threatened a European push in O'Neil's first campaign at the helm.

An incredibly difficult fixture list has played its part, with Wolves facing five of last season's top seven – Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Liverpool – in the first seven matchweeks, and Manchester City are their next assignment after the hiatus.

However, Wolves are a side that has developed a habit of losing games, only managing one victory – against since-relegated Luton – in 17 league games since March 9 (three draws, 13 defeats).

Their tally of 21 goals conceded, meanwhile, is six more than any other side in the division (Southampton are next with 15). 

The decision to sell captain Max Kilman to West Ham without investing any of the £40million proceeds on a new centre-back looked ill-advised in pre-season, and downright neglectful when Colombia international Yerson Mosquera suffered what is likely to be a season-ending knee injury in a 3-1 loss at Villa.

Wolves have arguably been unfortunate at times, with their xGA figure of 14 being lower than those of Ipswich (15.7), Leicester (14.91) and Southampton (14.05). August's 6-2 defeat to Chelsea was a particularly freakish result, with Wolves winning the xG battle 1.96-1.68.

But a failure to do the simple things has repeatedly cost them. A series of poor goals conceded from set-pieces led to dead-ball coach Jack Wilson being sacked just a few months on from his arrival, and the pressure is now on O'Neil to plug the gaps.

A lack of defensive options could hinder him, though. Wolves have just three fit centre-backs in Craig Dawson, Santiago Bueno and Toti Gomes. The club chose to spend a reported £21million on midfielder Andre – a supremely talented but arguably unnecessary buy – rather than a new defensive lynchpin on transfer deadline day.

Fixtures against Man City and Brighton mean things could get worse before they get better, before a crucial run of eight games against Palace, Southampton, Fulham, Bournemouth, Everton, West Ham, Ipswich and Leicester. 

Expect O'Neil's future to be decided by Christmas, one way or another. The Opta supercomputer now gives Wolves a 51.9% chance of being relegated, up from 20.9% in pre-season.

The good news for Wolves fans? The last time they started a top-flight campaign without a win in seven games, in 2003-04, they got up and running at the eighth attempt, beating Man City 1-0.

On Saturday, both Manchester City and Arsenal fell to surprise defeats at Bournemouth and Newcastle United respectively. 

It was only the third time since the start of 2017-18 that both of the previous season's top two teams had lost on the same day in the Premier League, after March 7, 2021 and January 14, 2023.

Pep Guardiola's champions could have few complaints about the result at the Vitality Stadium, where Andoni Iraola's Cherries won the expected goals (xG) battle by 2.04 to 1.56.

But which other games featured a lucky winner or an unlucky loser? We delve into the Opta data to find out.

Unlucky losers: Arsenal

The weekend's action began with Arsenal travelling to St James' Park to face Newcastle, with Mikel Arteta's side chasing a victory to move within a point of leaders Liverpool.

However, they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat as Alexander Isak's early goal proved enough for Newcastle to make it three wins in their last four home league games against Arsenal (one loss).

The Gunners could count themselves unlucky to come away from Tyneside with nothing, however, after limiting Newcastle to a measly 0.53 xG – 0.25 of which came from the chance for Isak's goal.

Only West Ham, who played half of their defeat to Nottingham Forest with 10 men, created a lower figure across the nine games to take place this weekend, with 0.13 xG.

Arsenal were far from their free-flowing best, though, only recording 10 attempts worth 1.05 xG themselves. They have averaged just 7.4 shots per game in their away Premier League matches this season, with only Brentford (7.5) taking fewer.

Lucky winners: Southampton 

Just two teams – Wolves and Ipswich Town – remain without a victory in the Premier League after Southampton finally got off the mark by beating Everton 1-0 at St Mary's.

Russell Martin's team accumulated just 0.74 xG to Everton's 1.56, but Adam Armstrong's strike five minutes from time handed them a huge three points in their fight for safety.

While Beto, who headed against the crossbar just 25 seconds before Armstrong's winner, and Jack Harrison spurned great chances for the Toffees, Southampton were also grateful for a late VAR intervention, as the former saw a potential leveller chalked off for a marginal offside call.

It was the first time Everton had failed to score against Southampton in the Premier League since February 2022, bringing their five-match unbeaten run in the competition to a halt.

Unlucky losers: Crystal Palace

Southampton ended the weekend in 19th, above winless Wolves after they were pegged back in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at Molineux.

Marc Guehi salvaged a draw for the Eagles, who were without star men Adam Wharton and Eberechi Eze yet arguably still did enough to leave the West Midlands with all three points.

They racked up 19 shots totalling 2.51 xG to their hosts' 11, which had a total value of 1.51 xG. Palace's xG figure was the highest in the Premier League this weekend, but they were missing their shooting boots as Ismaila Sarr squandered two glorious chances when they were a goal to the good in the second half. 

With both defences struggling, this was only the second Premier League game of the season to be goalless at half-time but see both sides score at least twice in the second half, after Everton 2-3 Bournemouth in August.

There could have been a fifth goal in stoppage time, too, as Jean-Phillipe Mateta saw a potential winner disallowed for a foul on Jose Sa in the build-up. Wolves – and their under-fire head coach Gary O'Neil – arguably got away with one.

Lucky winners: Chelsea 

Sunday's late game saw Chelsea fight back to draw 1-1 with Manchester United at Old Trafford, denying Ruud van Nistelrooy a first Premier League win as the Red Devils' interim head coach.

Moises Caicedo's well-taken volley cancelled out Bruno Fernandes' penalty and Chelsea arguably looked the more likely victors in the second half, but they only generated 1.1 xG from their 12 attempts – and just 0.29 from six after the interval.

United, meanwhile, had chances worth 1.98 xG, though Fernandes' spot-kick – with an xG value of 0.79 – was a major contributing factor.

Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho squandered decent opportunities for United, though, and incoming boss Ruben Amorim has plenty of work to do with their attackers.

United have scored just nine goals in 10 Premier League games this season – their worst record through 10 matches of any league campaign since 1973-74 (also nine).

Fans of a certain vintage will need no reminder of what happened at the end of that season – United were relegated from the First Division, their fate sealed by club legend Denis Law scoring against them with a nonchalant backheel, while representing rivals Man City.

It is fair to say the Reds, who accumulated 3.3 expected goals and had 18 shots, were more than worthy of their victory on Sunday, as City lost a fourth straight league match.

But was that the case across the board this weekend? Which teams were unlucky, and which sides got lucky, when comparing the underlying metrics to their actual results?

Here, we use Opta data to find out.

Unlucky losers: Everton

The away end at Old Trafford was mostly empty by the time full-time rolled around on Sunday, as Manchester United claimed their first league win under new boss Ruben Amorim in style, beating Everton 4-0.

But it's fair to say that Sean Dyche's team had started brightly, albeit without offering too much in the way of a threat. United's opening two goals came via a deflection and then a mistake from Jarrad Branthwaite, who was heavily linked with a move to the Red Devils in the summer.

While Everton cannot be considered unfortunate to lose, the metrics do suggest United were far more clinical than would have been anticipated based on the chances that came their way, as Joshua Zirkzee and Marcus Rashford both netted doubles. 

United created just 1.0 xG, while having 11 shots, just three more than the Toffees. Amorim's side took all three of their big chances (defined as an opportunity from which a player would reasonably be expected to score). Everton had only 13 touches in United's box, though, as for all their bright play in the opening 30 minutes, they failed to make any real inroads.

Lucky winners: Newcastle United

Newcastle did not get all three points against Crystal Palace on Saturday, though they were just moments away from doing so. Daniel Munoz headed home late on after connecting with a cross from Marc Guehi, who had bundled in an own goal to give the Magpies the lead.

Yet Newcastle should really consider themselves fortunate to come away with even a point, considering the match metrics.

Eddie Howe claimed his team were in control, yet they failed to have a single shot on target, had only one attempt throughout the entire match and finished with 0.04 xG - by some distance the lowest of any Premier League team this weekend.

Palace's 1.8 xG was the fifth-highest total, on the other hand. The Eagles had 16 attempts, meaning their per-shot xG of 0.11 was higher than Newcastle's entire xG across the match.

Unlucky losers: Brighton

Brighton were left to rue some missed opportunities as they drew 1-1 with Southampton in Friday's south coast derby.

The Seagulls accumulated 1.7 xG and had 22 shots, which is at least four more than any other team in the division across the weekend's matches, while their 44 touches in the opposition box was also a league-high.

Yet they could not build on Kaoru Mitoma's opener, and were ultimately punished when Flynn Downes netted just before the hour.

Southampton created 1.0 xG, so it is not as though they were unworthy of at least a goal, but Fabian Hurzeler will no doubt believe his team should have been out of sight.

Manchester City fought back late on to draw 2-2 with Arsenal in the headline fixture of the weekend on Sunday.

Chelsea and Liverpool each claimed 3-0 wins, while Manchester United were frustrated by Crystal Palace.

Meanwhile, the bottom six teams in the league remain without a win, which is a Premier League first five games into a season.

But, what did the underlying metrics suggest about the weekend's action?

Unlucky loser: Man Utd

The data has thrown up an interesting storyline this week - there was not really a particularly unlucky loser or lucky winner.

Instead, the results that were most skewed were draws, with United one of the teams that can consider themselves unfortunate not to have picked up all three points.

They mustered 1.7 expected goals (xG) against Palace at Selhurst Park, having 15 shots and missing all five of their big chances. Only Tottenham (seven) created more big chances in total this weekend.

United had six shots on target, but found their former goalkeeper Dean Henderson in fine form, with Palace's expected goals on target (xGoT) conceded coming in at 1.9, showing just how well their shot-stopper performed.

Lucky winner: Arsenal

Drawing right at the death may have felt like a defeat for Arsenal, but it is fair to say the pressure had been building for Man City before John Stones steered home in the eighth minute of stoppage time.

Mikel Arteta's team, reduced to 10 men following Leandro Trossard's second booking on the stroke of half-time, set out their stall to defend for the second half, and they very nearly got over the line.

Yet City, who had 77.2% of the ball, were dominant. They had 28 shots in the second half alone, the joint-highest ever by a team on record (from 2003-04) in a single half of Premier League football.

City finished with 2.18 xG, while the Gunners recorded just 0.67 - that was the third-lowest figure across the league this weekend.

Unlucky loser: Southampton

Two of those six teams at the bottom still waiting for a first league win are Southampton and Ipswich Town, who faced off at St Mary's on Saturday.

Southampton looked all set to wrap up their maiden victory of 2024-25 until, late on, Sam Morsy's deflected effort left the hosts stunned.

Only Spurs (3.52) registered a higher xG in the league this round than Southampton (2.49), who missed three of their four big chances.

That being said, Ipswich did have more shots (13 to 11) and recorded 1.69 xG, which suggests the Tractor Boys were at least worthy of one goal.

Earlier reports had suggested that the 27-year former England U-21 representative was among a number of players that had decided to switch their allegiances to Jamaica after being approached by the JFF.

 The player had, however, later rejected those claims, insisted he was yet to be contacted by the JFF regarding the option of joining the country’s national program.

"I’ve not been contacted. I’ve heard some stories and seen a lot of stuff in the media, but no one from the international set-up in Jamaica has contacted me,” Redmond had told UK publication The Daily Echo.

 "So, I’m seeing it exactly the same way as everybody else is."

A recent update, however, indicates that the player was contacted three weeks ago, and he is now carefully considering the decision.  Redmond had also previously indicated that the decision would include his family.

"I’ve not really spoken to my family about some of that stuff as of yet,” he had said.

"Obviously, it’s been difficult to see people during lockdown. So, I’ve not really spoken to the family about that,” he added.

"That’s a decision I guess for all of them to make with me, because I’m quite close with my family and whatever I do football-wise impacts them and our lives."

A number of players, including West Ham star forward Michail Antonio and Swansea’s Jamal Lowe, have already accepted the invitation to join the Jamaica national team, who will begin competing in the final round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers later this year.

The Blues are destined to miss out on the Premier League's top four this season, thus will not qualify for the Champions League via the league.

As a result, there appears a lack of urgency as they look to get back on the right direction after sacking both Potter and Thomas Tuchel this term under new owner Todd Boehly.

TOP STORY – BLUES MULL OVER ENRIQUE, NAGELSMANN AND CONTE

Fabrizio Romano reports Frank Lampard will take over as Chelsea's interim manager, but that ex-Spain boss Luis Enrique is 100 per cent interested in the permanent position.

Enrique has flown into London for talks on the role, while the Blues will also continue talks with ex-Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann who is the leading candidate.

The Independent claims the Blues are also considering a shock return for Antonio Conte after initial contact between intermediaries.

ROUND-UP

– Football Insider reports Manchester United are keen on Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse. United may take advantage of the Saints' possible relegation to bolster their midfield with the 28-year-old free-kick specialist. Aston Villa and Newcastle United are also interested in him.

– Liverpool are willing to cough up €40 million (£35m) for Atletico Madrid's Argentinian World Cup winner Rodrigo De Paul to bolster their midfield next term, reports Fichajes. Inter Live claims Tottenham are also interested in De Paul.

– Arsenal are pondering an off-season move for Lazio midfielder Sergei Milinkovic-Savic who will be a free agent in 2024, claims Gazzetta dello Sport. The reported fee would be around €40m.

– Luka Modric is disgruntled with his contract situation at Real Madrid, with his future not yet resolved with only a few months left on his deal, claims Goal.

– Fichajes claims West Ham, Leeds United and Nice are all circling for Real Madrid's Mariano who will be available on a free transfer at the end of this season.

– Leicester City have shortlisted Ralph Hasenhuttl, Jesse Marsch and Oscar Garcia for their vacant managerial role according to Fabrizio Romano. The Independent's Miguel Delaney claims the Foxes are also interested in experienced pair Martin O'Neill and Rafa Benitez.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward has stalled on signing a new deal with the French giants.

Madrid have long courted Mbappe with a view to signing him, but PSG remain determined to keep their man.

TOP STORY – PSG RE-ENTER TALKS WITH MBAPPE

PSG have launched a determined attempt to retain Mbappe after making the France frontman a new contract offer, claims Telefoot.

The Parisians are said to have offered Mbappe a massive two-year deal to fight off attempts to woo him by Real Madrid.

Mbappe is reported to be unwilling to make a decision yet and could let his contract expire. It runs only until the end of June.

ROUND-UP

- La Repubblica reports Arsenal are closing in on a deal for Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic, with Fiorentina said to be considering accepting a £58million offer from the Gunners.

- Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano claims both Barcelona and Bayern Munich are keen to sign Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen at the season's end.

- Manchester United are interested in Inter head coach Simone Inzaghitaking over as their manager next season, according to Corriere dello Sport.

- Southampton have contacted Manchester United about signing goalkeeper Dean Henderson, reports Football Insider. Saints also want to sign Chelsea's Armando Broja permanently but will stiff competition, claims Sky Sports.

- Lille are pursuing former Newcastle United winger Hatem Ben Arfa, reports L'Equipe. Ben Arfa left Bordeaux at the end of last season.

The United club captain is contracted until 2025 and his deal includes £200,000 per week wages.

Maguire has only started one of United's last eight Premier League games and did not play in Thursday's Europa League win over Real Betis.

TOP STORY – PSG SET FOR SHOCK MAGUIRE MOVE

Paris Saint-Germain are set for a shock £50million (€56m) move for Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, according to The Sun.

It has been claimed that Maguire is among a list of players that United are willing to sell in the off-season with Newcastle United and West Hamreportedly interested.

According to The Sun's report, PSG tabled a deal for Maguire in January, but time ran out to finalise it and the French champions will move again for him.

ROUND-UP

– The Independent reports Real Madrid are plotting an overhaul to bring in a new generation of young stars, with Manchester City's Erling Haaland top of the list along with Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham.

– The Guardian reports Manchester United will enter the race to sign Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, with interest also from Liverpool and Newcastle United. Mount and Chelsea are currently in the middle of a contract dispute, potentially making him available, with United viewing him as a cheaper alternative to Bellingham.

–  Barcelona are in the market to sign Manchester City's Portuguese full-back Joao Canceloif Bayern Munich do not make permanent his loan spell, claims Sport.

– Newcastle are circling to sign Southampton free-kick specialist James Ward-Prowse, according to Football Insider. Newcastle are one of numerous Premier League clubs interested in him.

– Gazzetta dello Sport reports Inter have tabled a two-year contract offer to Edin Dzeko amid interest from West Ham.

– L'Equipe claims PSG are ramping up their bid to sign Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva in the off-season.

Los Blancos, along with Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Manchester United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, were keen on the former Borussia Dortmund forward.

Ultimately, the Norwegian decided to join Manchester City, starting on fire with 14 goals in 10 games in all competitions, but Madrid are keeping an eye on him.

TOP STORY – MADRID PLANNING LONG-TERM MOVES FOR CITY DUO

Spanish giants Real Madrid are plotting moves to sign Manchester City pair Joao Cancelo and Erling Haaland, reports AS.

Madrid will attempt to sign the 28-year-old Portuguese full-back in mid-2023, with Cancelo contracted until 2027, although the report claims he will cost around €40-50million (£35-44m).

The Spanish champions are planning a swoop for Haaland but not until 2024, with Karim Benzema in the twilight of his career.

Haaland reportedly has a termination clause in his City contract worth €180m (£158m) up until 2024.

ROUND-UP

– The Daily Star reports that Manchester United and David De Gea are set for key talks on his future, with the goalkeeper's contract expiring in mid-2023. United hold an option to extend his stay.

– Manchester United may struggle in their bid to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, with the Villans to turn down any offer for him in January, claims Football Insider.

– Barcelona are keen to sign Wolves 25-year-old midfielder Ruben Neves as a long-term replacement for 34-year-old Sergio Busquets, reports Sport. Neves will be the Blaugrana's top target at the end of this season.

– Gerard Pique is not interested in joining Atletico Madrid in January, claims Sport. The defender has fallen out of favour at Barcelona, but he is determined to fight for his spot.

– Calciomercato claims that Chelsea are interested in Inter wing-back Denzel Dumfries. The Italian club may be willing to part with the Dutchman for approximately £44m.

– Colombian forward Luis Muriel is ready to leave Atalanta, with a move to Fiorentina on the cards, according to Calciomercato.

– PSV striker Cody Gakpo is likely to have more offers in January with Manchester United, Southampton and Everton all still interested, claims Football Transfers.

– Thomas Tuchel is Real Madrid 's preferred replacement for Carlo Ancelotti, according to El Nacional. The Italian has told the club he does not intend to manage Madrid beyond this season.

Ryan Fraser and David Brooks fired the Saints back into second in the Championship on Friday.

They are a point ahead of Leeds, 11 adrift of leaders Leicester, after hitting back following the end of a club record 25-game unbeaten run on Tuesday.

The Saints escaped when Jack Stephens’ handball in the box in first-half injury time went unpunished with the Baggies’ frustrations boiling over after boss Carlos Corberan was dismissed for misconduct just seven minutes in for kicking the ball while it was still in play.

But Martin believes his side proved their worth after Tuesday’s 3-1 defeat at Bristol City.

He said: “It’s our best win of the season. After Tuesday the questions were asked, those watching – the teams in hotels – people at home were looking to see how the team responded and they were amazing. It’s a big moment for us.

“The aggression was through the roof compared to Tuesday. When I watched back Tuesday I felt worse about it than after the game. I didn’t make a big enough deal about being aggressive and that was a hangover from Saturday.

“Away from home we’ve been really good on the whole. The fans have been amazing, we lost 3-1 we didn’t play very well and they were clapping us right to the end. Hopefully tonight shows the guys are really up for the fight.”

Southampton dominated from the start and, after Corberan was dismissed, took a 14th-minute lead when on-loan Newcastle winger Fraser volleyed in Stuart Armstrong’s centre following a short corner.

Yet, despite their superiority, the Saints failed to add to their lead before the break which allowed Albion to threaten a comeback.

John Swift drilled wide and the hosts were furious after their penalty claims were snubbed when Conor Townsend’s shot hit Stephens’ arm in first-half injury time.

The hosts, though, were unable to recover and Brooks wrapped up the points with 17 minutes left when he drilled in after an incisive move involving Joe Aribo, Armstrong and Sam Edozie cut the Baggies open.

Gavin Bazunu turned Okay Yokuslu’s free header over soon after and, with it, went their hopes.

Defeat for the Baggies – who remain fifth – spoilt Thursday’s news Florida-based businessman Shilen Patel’s takeover is due to be finalised next week.

“There’s a lot of positivity around the takeover. Hopefully we can use that in the last 14, 15 games to push ourselves into the play-offs,” said Townsend, with Corberan unable to speak to the press after his red card.

“We’re disappointed to lose, we’ve come into it on the back on some good home form.

“In the end it looks comprehensive but when we’re on top we need to take our chances. We felt one big decision didn’t go our way.

“From the ref’s angle it (the penalty) seems to be a difficult one to give, he’s looking through bodies, but that’s what the linesman is for, to help. We’re disappointed but we had chances, we can’t say it was the ref’s fault we didn’t score.”

The on-loan Newcastle winger opened his Saints account in the fifth minute of stoppage time to settle a fascinating game of end-to-end football.

Martin said: “People ask me, ‘what’s he like as a person?’ – he’s a brilliant lad.

“He’s intelligent, he lives for football and he enjoys being here.

“We’ve been trying to get him fit by playing games, which is not ideal, but he does everything properly and that finish was top drawer.

“I’m really pleased for him. He has great technical ability and he’s a top guy, which I already knew before he joined the club.”

Despite their slow start to the season, Southampton are now unbeaten in four games and are fifth in the Sky Bet Championship.

A frenetic game felt destined to end in a draw after Will Smallbone’s opening goal in the 20th minute was cancelled out by Liam Delap just five minutes later.

Hull were the better side in the first half and also served notice of their intent with an early flurry of chances after the interval.

But Martin’s judicious use of the bench eventually yielded handsome dividends.

Following a sustained spell of late pressure, Fraser, who replaced Stuart Armstrong after 84 minutes, was well positioned to sweep home Flynn Downes’ precise cross from the right.

Martin said: “Away from home against a team who are playing well – they’re in a good place, this club – I’m delighted.

“We didn’t get a few details quite right (in the first half) but we caused them plenty of problems.

“It was a really good game – two teams going at it – and we tweaked a few things (after the break).

“But that wouldn’t have mattered if the mentality of the players wasn’t right, which it was.

“I thought we were outstanding in the second half. Hull grew tired and it was just relentless.

“When you’re attacking that much there’s going to be gaps and our players dealt with that brilliantly.

“I thought we were worthy winners. We were maybe too safe in the first half, but in the second half we were brilliant.

“This team is growing together, which is great to see.”

Hull side have won just once in seven games, but head coach Liam Rosenior is convinced his team are on the right path.

He said: “The manner of conceding a goal in the last minute is probably the most horrible way to lose a game.

“We need to eradicate that. For all our great play, you have to keep the back door shot.

“It became a game of who finishes their chances? We are going to be more open this season but hopefully through the season, the subs will give us the goals we will need.

“The exciting thing is that this group has got a lot of improvement. I’m very happy with the positive signs, but we have to stop throwing away points.”

Rosenior added: “We have to learn on the job, get more experience and make sure we don’t make the same mistake twice.

“It hurts at the moment, but I’m delighted we’ve got a game on Wednesday to get this out of our system.

“Some of our football has been excellent, but it needs to be excellent with points.

“I feel terrible about this result, but maybe we need to feel that pain.

“I love this group – if you see in the dressing room they are devastated – but the second goal was unacceptable from my point of view and we need to put that right.

“We are two points out of the play-offs – it’s nothing. I was delighted with the energy, but we have to start taking advantage of the moments in games.”

Saints fan Sunak celebrated from the stands as Carlos Alcaraz and Che Adams helped the south coast side go a 17th match unbeaten to bolster their automatic promotion credentials.

Martin, who has been a member of the Green Party, said: “I hope he enjoyed himself just like anyone who comes here I hope they enjoy themselves.

“I have no interest because I’m a football manager. I’m not sure we’re aligned on too much politically but I know he’s a fan and I hope he enjoyed watching the team.

“I’m some people would be excited about him being here but we had a job to do and we were here to win a football match and we did.”

After dominating the first half which had seen Taylor Harwood-Bellis strike a post, Alcaraz curled Saints into the lead for his fourth goal of the season.

Striker Adams then capitalised on a stunning through pass from Harwood-Bellis to double the lead and keep the pressure on top two Ipswich and Leicester.

But a crazy finale, in which Ryan Hardie pegged one back after pinching the ball off goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, took the shine off the seventh straight home win.

“The last few minutes were mental,” said Martin. “We took our foot off the gas and it is frustrating.

“They’ll feel really aggrieved by the decision and it was so touch but it wouldn’t have been deserved. It was attack versus defence for so long. We should have scored before we did.

“It is a big learning curve for the lads as they should have had a clean sheet.”

Seconds before Alcaraz’s opener, Plymouth had the ball in the net after Bali Mumba had headed in on for the offside flag to go up.

Replays showed it was the incorrect decision, and Argyle’s caretaker boss Neil Dewsnip was left bereft by the call which left the Pilgrims without an away win this season.

Director of football Dewsnip, who is in the process of finding Steven Schumacher’s replacement, said: “I thought Southampton were excellent and were conscious the last two teams who came here lost by four and five.

“We had a few scary moments in the first half but a few moments where if we had a bit more quality we could have put them to the sword.

“I’m devastated for the players. I’m really disappointed about the decision. We don’t seem to get the rub of the green.

“In a world of VAR where they put the lines across the pitch, there was a line across the pitch called the six-yard box and it indicates our player was quite clearly on side.

“I don’t think (I’ll go and see the officials), I think that would just tease us.

“That’s the really annoying bit. People make mistakes but the next bit is really disappointing. They take a quick free-kick. Three of our players are celebrating a goal, should have allowed them to get goal side.

“They didn’t need to prove to me or the Green Army their resilience. We got a bit of a lucky goal but we kept going.

“We have to ask our official friends to be a bit kinder across the season.”

First-half goals from Jan Bednarek and Adam Armstrong earned Saints a 2-0 victory at rock-bottom Rotherham to move up to second in the Championship standings.

The result at the AESSEAL New York Stadium also extended Southampton’s unbeaten run to 23 matches and Martin is looking for more of the same as they face six more games in a hectic February.

Martin said: “I really enjoyed the performance and the control we had.

“Their goalie made some really good saves and we should have scored a couple more goals. We limited them to very little.

“They really looked after each other. They fought so hard and ran so hard out of possession – especially from direct balls and long throws. It was really tough to play against.

“I am really proud of the players. It was a tough pitch compared to what the guys play on. The players said it was the toughest they have played on all season.

“We had a joke at breakfast about going 20-odd unbeaten and still being fourth. That’s the level of the competition, it’s outstanding and it’s great to be involved in. The lads are just head on and enjoying the opportunity.

“The players keep showing the humility and hunger. Hopefully we can keep enjoying this feeling for as long as possible. We will focus on ourselves and keep learning and growing as much as we can.

“It’s going to be a relentless month. We need to keep pushing the players.”

Centre-half Bednarek put Southampton in front with just four minutes on the clock when he reacted fastest to a ricochet in the box to head beyond Viktor Johansson.

Adam Armstrong netted the second in the 38th minute after Ryan Fraser had laid cleverly into his path for a simple finish.

The Millers then had Johansson to thank for keeping it to just two when he kept out Will Smallbone’s drive.

Southampton could afford to cruise through the second half but came close to adding a third when new lean signing David Brooks fired just off target.

Rotherham huffed and puffed after the break but could not get back into the game, with Gavin Bazunu denying them a late consolation when he kept out Ollie Rathbone’s volley.

Millers head coach Leam Richardson said: “Southampton were exactly what we expected. They’re a team full of quality and going very well. We knew the challenges we were going to face.

“The only disappointing thing is the way we started the game. Second half was more like us without creating massive chances.

“They could control the game a little bit more. It was a tough afternoon for the boys.”

Richardson knows he has to keep rallying his players after just one win going back to October.

He added: “We either feel sorry for ourselves and don’t do anything about it or we meet the challenges.

“We should never be OK with losing 2-0 to Southampton because we want a competitive environment.

“You either meet the challenge head on or you back off. I would rather go and be pro-active. If you’re going to lose, lose being the best version of yourself.

“The challenge was to go and win the second half and we possibly could have done.”