Southampton produced a sensational comeback on Sunday afternoon as they came from two goals down to beat Burnley 3-2 at St Mary’s.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side had been in awful form in the Premier League since the turn of the year and looked to be headed towards another defeat when goals from Chris Wood and Matej Vydra put Sean Dyche’s side ahead.
However, goals from Stuart Armstrong, Danny Ings and Nathan Redmond completed the turnaround and earned the Saints a vital three points which puts distance between themselves and the bottom three.
One man who impressed in the win was Jannik Vestergaard, with the Danish centre-back justifying the interest being shown in him by Tottenham Hotspur with another excellent display.
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As per SofaScore, the 28-year-old defender, who reportedly earns £60k per week at Southampton, would earn a solid 7.3 match rating for his display, which was the best of any defender on the pitch from both sides.
There was not much Vestergaard could do about either of Burnley’s goals, with Kyle Walker-Peters guilty of a poor challenge in the box for Wood’s penalty, whilst Jan Bednarek was outmuscled by the New Zealand international for Vydra’s effort.
During the 90 minutes, the former Borussia Monchengladbach man would make as many as 10 clearances, which was joint with Bednarek as the most of any player, as he and his Polish teammate defender superbly against Burnley’s constant long balls into the box.
He would also contribute three tackles and two interceptions during the game, which is more than the 1.6 he has averaged of both in the Premier League so far this season.
Perhaps most impressively, when you consider the aerial threat that Burnley possess, Vestergaard would win four out of five of his aerial duels during the game, and all three of his ground duels, resulting in an overall success rate of 88%.
Therefore, whilst Southampton’s attackers might well get the credit for turning the game around, Vestergaard was arguably their unsung hero as his excellent defensive efforts ensured that Hasenhuttl’s side would hold on for the three points.
And, in other news… No goals this season: Hasenhuttl must axe 25 y/o flop, he’s stealing a living