Southampton suffered late heartbreak against Ipswich Town on Saturday as they were denied a first Premier League win of the season by a 95th-minute deflected equaliser.
Russell Martin brought in Charlie Taylor, Ryan Fraser and Adam Lallana to the side that lost 3-0 to Manchester United in the last Premier League game, with Kyle Walker-Peters, Lesley Ugochukwu and Ben Brereton Diaz dropping out.
It paid off early on too, as Lallana threaded a ball through to 18-year-old Tyler Dibling who took the ball in his stride before calmly finishing after just five minutes.
Dibling could well have had an assist not long after as he played Cameron Archer through on goal with a delightful pass, but the striker who missed a penalty last week hit the post after rounding the Ipswich goalkeeper.
Archer would miss more big chances as the game went on as his first league goal for Southampton remains elusive, before Ipswich stole a point at the death from a deflected Sam Morsy strike following a corner.
That means Martin’s hunt for a first win as a Premier League manager continues, but the Saints boss got one big decision right against Ipswich.
Adam Lallana impressive in first Premier League start since rejoining Southampton
When Southampton signed 36-year-old Lallana on a free this summer it was a transfer that divided opinion.
Some felt it was an astute bit of business for a quality player with a wealth of experience, whilst others saw it as a nostalgia-driven signing for a player who has had numerous injury problems since leaving the club ten years ago for Liverpool.
However, Lallana has quickly put any doubts over the impact he can still have to bed through a number of impressive cameos since recovering from a pre-season injury and was handed his first league start by Martin in the huge match against Ipswich.
Playing in a double pivot with Flynn Downes, Lallana was again classy in all he did as he constantly demanded the ball as well as providing an inch perfect assist for Dibling.
The Daily Echo scored Lallana’s 59-minute display an eight out of ten, commenting: “Rather faultless during the 59 minutes he was on the pitch.
“Completed 57 of the 59 passes he attempted. Helped younger players through the game with his experience and voice. Replaced early as Saints continued to manage his minutes.”
The statistics behind Lallana’s Southampton display vs Ipswich Town
Lallana proved against Ipswich that he should be one of the first names on the team sheet but Martin is conscious of not putting too much strain on the veteran midfielder.
According to Sofascore, Lallana maintained a pass accuracy of 95% against Ipswich, which was bettered only by Jan Bednarek in a Southampton shirt.
The 36-year-old of course provided the assist for Dibling, completed his one dribble in the match and had 46 touches in a congested midfield.
From a defensive standpoint, Lallana made two interceptions, one clearance and one tackle.
If Martin can get 60 minutes out of Lallana on a regular basis then Southampton will certainly be much better for it.