Player Ratings as Southampton’s defensive frailties are exposed by Norwich

Tonda Eckert’s Southampton suffered a second consecutive away defeat as Ryan Manning’s superb equaliser proved insufficient to salvage a point against Norwich City.

Costly defensive lapses from Nathan Wood allowed Jovon Makama to score twice after the break, handing the Canaries a 2–1 victory that eased their relegation worries and moved them to within two points of safety. Earlier, Adam Armstrong had the chance to give the Saints the lead from the penalty spot, but his first-half effort was saved by Vladan Kovačević after Léo Scienza was brought down in the area by Harry Darling.

Norwich emerged with greater intensity in the second half and made it count when Makama beat a flat-footed Wood to the ball and finished at the near post. Southampton responded through Manning, whose long-range strike followed good work down the right from Ryan Fraser. Norwich failed to fully clear the resulting corner, and after a fortunate ricochet, Manning drove a low effort beyond Kovačević at his near post.

However, Wood was again caught ball-watching late on, allowing Makama to bundle the ball home from close range to secure both his second goal and the winner for Norwich.

Norwich City 2–1 Southampton

Player Ratings

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Gavin Bazunu (GK) – 6/10
Not at fault for either goal.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis (RCB) – 6/10
Played too deep for long spells and was pressed into errors. Looked more comfortable higher up the pitch but was slow in possession.
Nathan Wood (CB) – 4/10
Beaten by Makama for the opener immediately after half-time and caught ball-watching again for the winner. Nearly conceded a third after missing another tackle. A disappointing display.
Jack Stephens (LCB) – 6/10
Solid and dependable, doing the basics well and stepping up when required, though still sat too deep at times.

Midfielders

Ryan Fraser (RM) – 5/10
Made an excellent overlapping run that forced the Norwich goalkeeper to rush out. Won the corner that led to Manning’s equaliser before being replaced by Welington on the hour.
Flynn Downes (CM) – 6/10
Should have scored from the rebound after Scienza’s early free-kick struck the crossbar. Another combative performance in midfield.
Caspar Jander (CM) – 6/10
Looked tired, possibly due to playing three games in a short period.
Ryan Manning (LM) – 6/10
Netted a brilliant goal and provided attacking impetus, especially after Welington switched to the left side.

Forwards

Léo Scienza (LF) – 7/10
A constant menace to the Norwich defence. Hit the crossbar early from a free-kick, created a chance Downes should have converted, and won the penalty that Armstrong failed to score.