Southampton had to score in the 89th minute to draw 1-1 with Watford and set up a home replay in the FA Cup fourth round.
Stuart Armstrong was the hero as he came off the bench to score the leveller later on, with Russell Martin making nine changes to the side that beat Swansea City 3-1 in the Championship last weekend. In truth, few of those nine performed well enough to show that should be starters moving forward.
However, in a week in which 18-year-old youth product Kamari Doyle left the club, the young trio of Jayden Meghoma, Tyler Dibling, and Sam Amo-Ameyaw all did the academy proud with their performances.
The likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Sekou Mara did not capitalise on their opportunity, but can expect another chance in the replay given how many games Southampton have to navigate in February.
It may have been Armstrong who scored the all important leveller, but it was another of the regular starters whose performance spared Southampton’s blushes, meaning they still have a chance of a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool in the next round.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis shows his quality against Watford
That player was Taylor Harwood-Bellis, with the central defender showing just why he is so crucial to Southampton with a commanding display.
As is usually the case, Southampton dominated the ball with 69% possession against the Hornets and made 660 passes to Watford’s 278. Martin’s side also managed 19 attempts, with eight on target, whilst their opponents only managed four shots on target from their 13 attempts.
Despite this, Southampton spent a long time chasing an equaliser having fallen behind in the fifth minute to a Matheus Martins free-kick and had it not been for the defensive performance of Harwood-Bellis they may have found themselves further behind.
The 21-year-old on loan from Manchester City was the best player on the pitch in a game that lacked quality. Harwood-Bellis made six clearances, made three blocks and won one tackle. To add to this, the defender also won 71% of his duels in a game where he had to stay focused alongside skipper Jack Stephens.
It was not just defensively that Harwood-Bellis stood out, though, as he took responsibility in possession and showed just how good he is at both sides of the game at Vicarage Road. Only his central defensive partner Stephens had more touches than Harwood-Bellis’ 138, with the under-21 European Champion also having a pass accuracy of 90%, completing 109 passes.
Harwood-Bellis is always a threat in the opposition box, as well as defending his own, and managed three shots in the game with two of those efforts being on target.
With his ability to perform both with and without the ball to such a high level, Harwood-Bellis is the perfect modern centre-back. With a busy few weeks ahead – made even busier by the FA Cup replay on the week commencing 5th February – Harwood-Bellis will continue to be one of the first names on the team sheet.