- Salisu was poor in Southampton’s home defeat
- Aribo had little impact
- Loss means more pressure on Ralph Hasenhuttl
WHAT HAPPENED? Salisu featured for the entirety of the game and was disappointing as his side were outclassed on their own turf.
Miguel Almiron broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when he managed to find his way past Ainsley Maitland-Niles and slot the ball past Gavin Bazunu. It all started as the Magpies engineered a quick breakthrough, Almiron found himself through on goal, and he did not disappoint as he opened the score.
Chris Wood scored the second for Newcastle United in the 59th minute, as the visitors were as ambitious as they were in the first half. Jacob Murphy’s pass picked out Wood in the area, and the substitute found the far corner with his right-footed effort.
Two minutes past the hour mark, Kieran Trippier had good control of the ball while driving forward before he produced a delightful pass to Joe Willock. Willock outmanoeuvred Southampton’s defenders and planted the ball into the far corner for their third goal.
Romain Perraud scored a stunning consolation for the Saints in the 89th minute with an assist from Salisu. The full-back made his way into the box and tricked Dan Burn before he curled a clever finish past Nick Pope in Southampton’s goal.
However, in the first minute of added time, the Magpies restored their three-goal lead. Bruno Guimares collected a pass from outside the box and scored the fourth goal from quite a distance by bending his strike into the bottom corner.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Salisu had managed three total tackles, one interception, and four clearances.
His passing accuracy of 76% was impressive, as he also registered one key pass and a total of 47 passes. Offensively, the Black Star was also involved; he had three shots with one shot on target.
On the other hand, Aribo, who came on for Stuart Armstrong in the 64th minute, had little impact on the game.
The Nigerian could only manage one dribble past an opponent, zero tackles, and zero clearances, while his passing accuracy was 75%.
ALL EYES ON: Sunday’s performance for the World Cup-bound Salisu is concerning news for coach Otto Addo. The defender was named in the Ghana provisional squad and is largely expected to be part of the final team that will fly Ghana’s flag in Qatar.
THE VERDICT: Aribo was overlooked by Hasenhuttl, who started Theo Walcott instead of the Nigerian.
Expectations were high that the Super Eagle would be a regular starter when he signed, but that has clearly changed.
WHAT NEXT FOR ARIBO AND SALISU? A League Cup game against Sheffield Wednesday lies ahead for Southampton in midweek before a Premier League duel against Liverpool on November 12.