After Saturday’s 1-0 victory against Everton, Southampton can begin to look at the Premier League table more positively.
Adam Armstrong’s late strike gave the St Mary’s crowd their first league victory of the season to celebrate, after a winless start to the campaign.
Russell Martin would’ve been most grateful for the performance of his goalkeeper, with Aaron Ramsdale earning plaudits from the fans for his performance against Everton.
The result leaves The Saints in nineteenth in the table on four points, needing another win to see themselves above Crystal Palace and out of the relegation zone.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 15 |  LeicesterLeicester | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 18 | -4 | 10 |
| 16 |  EvertonEverton | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 17 | -7 | 9 |
| 17 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 13 | -5 | 7 |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 21 | -11 | 5 |
| 19 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 19 | -12 | 4 |
| 20 |  WolvesWolves | 10 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 27 | -13 | 3 |
This victory should be seen as a potential platform for more positive results as 2024 draws to a close, especially if Ramsdale can replicate Saturday’s performance more regularly.
However, it wasn’t just Ramsdale that contributed to the clean sheet, as one defender in particular was picked out in Troy Deeney’s team of the week.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis stars in Troy Deeney’s team of the week
In his BBC Sport article, Deeney heaped praise upon Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ performance against Everton, saying: “He’s had a tough time this season getting to grips with the Premier League but he was really good against Everton.
“He was brave on the ball, playing well and defending when he needed to. Southampton’s players have to realise that you have to dig in at times – and he epitomised that.”
Like the majority of the Southampton squad, Harwood-Bellis has had a mixed start to the season. It looked as though he may have been dropped early on when Martin experimented with a back four, but Harwood Bellis’ strong performance against Everton in the Carabao Cup saw him cement his place.
Another good display against Everton on Saturday has seen his importance to Southampton highlighted to the rest of the league, with his unique passing stats from the game standing out in particular.
Harwood-Bellis’ superior passing was key against Everton
With Martin’s methodical passing style, the Southampton squad have to excel with the ball at their feet. Saturday’s win against Everton showed that Harwood-Bellis more than excels in the passing game.
His 112 touches were over double that of the closest Everton counterpart, whilst his 89 accurate passes yielded a 92% success rate.
He acts in an almost playmaker role from the back line, having more touches than midfielder Mateus Fernandes, who joined from Sporting in the summer. He even played 13 passes into the final third, more than any other player.
Of course, Harwood-Bellis must be a strong defender first to help Southampton remain in the Premier League, but in matches that The Saints should pick up points in, his playmaking abilities can shine simultaneously.
It remains to be seen whether Southampton can build on Saturday’s win, but the performance of their backline should give them a fair chance.