While Stuart Armstrong did his best James Ward-Prowse impression during Tuesday’s narrow – some would say fortunate – 1-0 victory over Stoke City, it was another midfielder singled out by Russell Martin as Southampton followed up that coupon-busting triumph at home to Leeds.
Armstrong hogged most of the headlines, whipping an inch-perfect free-kick into the top corner, but it was Flynn Downes who arguably stood out the most in the Potteries, the West Ham United loanee dictating proceedings from the centre of the park in a manner reminiscent of his time under Saints boss Russell Martin at Swansea.
“I’m really proud of the boys and really grateful to them. We built up so well in the first half but it kept breaking down in the final third,” Martin, who reunited with Downes over the summer, tells the Daily Echo.
“In transition, we were really good. Flynn was monstrous today and it has been the Flynn we know in the last two games. He’s been outstanding.
Everyone was really fighting for each other and really aggressive, while we also took the fight out of the game we needed to with incredible moments of calmness. We spoke about that before the game and you have to be brave to do that amongst the chaos and they were
Downes, arguably more than anyone else in the Southampton squad, epitomises Martin’s free-flowing, possession-heavy principles. The former Ipswich ace – who struggled to force his way into the West Ham XI following his £12 million move in the summer of 2022 – completed 92 per cent of his passes away at Stoke while completing an impressive four interceptions, a blend of tenacity and control paving the way for another pressure-easing victory.