Aribo’s Southampton goal can't deny Iwobi’s Everton back-to-back Premier League victories

• Aribo gave Saints lead
• Everton scored though Coady and McNeil
• Saints have lost three in a row

WHAT HAPPENED? After a goalless first half, Aribo broke the deadlock for Southampton in the 49th minute.

The Super Eagle drove a shot into the far corner from inside the box to register the goal.

However, Alex Iwobi’s side responded almost immediately when they grabbed the equalizer in the 52nd minute when Conor Coady – after connecting to a cross from Amadou Onana – slammed the ball home from close range.

The Toffees went ahead two minutes later with McNeil’s thumping near-post finish.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Aribo won three aerial duels as he enjoyed a passing accuracy of 66.7% against Everton. He made one key pass and registered two shots, including one shot on target, while defensively, he made three clearances and five total tackles.

Iwobi, on the other hand, had three key passes with a passing accuracy of 75.6% and one interception.

There were just four minutes and 39 seconds between Aribo putting Southampton 1-0 up, and both Coady and McNeil scoring to give Everton the lead.

ALL EYES ON: Aribo was not named by Nigeria’s head coach Jose Peseiro in the squad that faced Algeria in the friendly match earlier this week. His omission was glaring given how he had had a good time with Rangers before he joined the Saints before the season began.

As he continues to find the back of the net, eyes are keen to see whether he will be called up for the future assignments of the Super Eagles, especially the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers for the 2023 finals.

THE VERDICT:  As the Merseysiders picked up another victory, they managed to win an away Premier League game in which they conceded first for the first time since February 2020 at Watford.

On the other hand, Southampton dropped 92 points from winning positions in the league under manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, more than 20 more than any other side, since his first game in charge.

WHAT NEXT FOR ARIBO: After the defeat, the Nigerian and his teammates face a tough task in their next game when they visit Manchester City on October 8 while Everton will face Tottenham Hotspur in their next game.