Southampton defender Jan Bednarek has said that the team need to put more hard work after the stunning second-half collapse against Manchester United in the Premier League. The Saints were the better side during the opening half and made the best use of the chances to go 2-0 ahead at the half-time interval.
Things were far from fruitful for United, who substituted goalkeeper David de Gea with an injury at the interval, but they managed to redeem themselves with a superb second half performance. Edinson Cavani was the game-changer off the bench with one assist and two goals which included a superb header winner in stoppage time.
Speaking after the disappointing second-half performance, Bednarek said: “We are doing well but hard work will be the key now. I felt like we did very well in the first half. We had the game under control, they couldn’t create any chances. But in the second half I think we felt a little bit too comfortable and were a little too sloppy. That’s what happened there. Only one good half isn’t enough. We still managed to have some chances but it wasn’t enough. We still need to work very hard to get something.”
The south Coast outfit have excelled under manager Ralph Hassenhuttl this year and they could have moved third on the table, had they held onto the two-goal advantage against United. Instead, they find themselves sixth in the standings. Since the return from the international break, they have gone back-to-back games without a win (one point) and will be hoping to return to winning ways when they face Brighton & Hove Albion on the road next weekend.
They won’t have an easy task on their hands against the Seagulls, who have produced some top performances against the elite teams. Graham Potter’s side recently drew 1-1 against Liverpool on their home patch. The Saints have sorely missed Danny Ings, who has been nursing a knee injury, but Hasenhuttl has confirmed that he is not far from a comeback.
