Joe Aribo and Paul Onuachu were on target as struggling Southampton beat Ipswich 2-1 in Saturday’s Premier League game.
It was Aribo’s third goal in 23 league appearances and Onuachu he has now scored his second goal in 14 games this season.
Southampton went into the game having lost six straight league defeats but took the lead thanks to Aribo in the 21st minute.
Ipswich were back on level terms as Liam Delap got on the score sheet on 31 minutes.
But with three minutes left Onuachu netted what proved to be the winner for his relegation-threatened side.
Despite the win Southampton are still bottom on nine points and eight points from safety in the league table.
At the Vitality Stadium, Liverpool beat in-form Bournemouth 2-0 thanks to a Mohamed Salah double.
Also Read: Celtic Move To Sign Iheanacho From Sevilla
Liverpool now make it 19 games unbeaten in the Premier League.
Also they ended Bournemouth’s club record 11-game unbeaten run in the top-flight.
The win means Liverpool, on 56 points and with a game in hand, are nine points clear of Arsenal (second) and Nottingham Forest (third) who are tied on 47 points.
Salah broke the deadlock in the 30th minute from the penalty spot before adding the second goal on 75 minutes.
In other Premier League games Fulham, with Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey in action, beat Newcastle United 2-1 at St. James’Park and Everton made it three straight league wins after hammering Leicester City 4-0 at Goodison Park.
By James Agberebi
11 Comments
These players are not consistent. Now people will start praising Onuachu and Aribo saying this and that without considering how average they have been.
We must not be quick to shower praise on these players because of some fluke performance. Some of us have to beg bus conductors to pay lower fares. The country is tittering on the edge of becoming a failed state. Football that used to bring happiness is becoming a joke because of the incompetence of NFF in picking a mediocre coach and selecting average players.
On point! Watch how somes fans will come out of the woods in support of these average players.
I beg to differ on Aribo. Our midfield still needs him. As for Onuachu I wouldn’t call him up. However, someone scoring in the EPL can’t be overlooked by any coach who wants to invite his players on merit.
I love Aribo but he needs to leave Southampton to earn a place in SE. Although, he has improved but he still needs to up his game. Sadly, there’s no place for Onuachu in the squad. It’s over for him. We can only accomodate three CFs and they are Osimhen, Boni, and Dessers.
@Big Boss… who told you there is no place for Onuachu in the team? You are not the coach, cut dude some slack. Onuachu surely has a new dimension to his game and given confidence that he now enjoys from his club’s coach, he is repaying the trust. I will pick Onuachu above Iheanacho, Awoniyi and Boniface… I do not have time for pretenders who called themselves footballers.
Onuachu’s beanpole built is an advantage..Most coaches will pick a tall in form striker..
Meanwhile,Paul is adding numbers to his game,two in two consecutively in the Epl..If he adds a few more this month,he won’t be overlooked when action resumes next month..
I’m going to be frank and honest. Aribo falls short as a midfielder.
He simply does not have the skill, aggression or strength to be competitive in the midfield, especially against quality African opposition. Imagine Aribo playing in the midfield against teams like Senegal, CIV, Mali, Morocco, Cameroon? These sides bring warriors to the pitch to man their midfield area. Aribo-type players are not cut out for challenges like this.
Aribo is useful in the following positions:
1) Main striker
2) Support striker
3) Winger – left or right wing
4) Attacking midfielder – proceed with caution here, because he doesn’t have the skills, pace or natural flair that attacking midfielders usually have.
He can pick a pass, and is a somewhat decent goal threat. He’ll give you his best, but is his best good enough? Is his best THE BEST that Nigeria has to offer?
In my opinion, the midfield is a no go area for him. We currently have some decent talents in the midfield, talking about Ndidi, Onyedika, Onyeka. I’ll add Jide Fatokun to that list. And hopefully, Chelle Omo Mali can look around the world and identify some new midfield talents of Nigerian origin. We need strong, energetic, skillful midfielders who can battle our opponents and take control of the midfield.
@Pompei my oga, I’ll have to disagree with you on Aribo. I think Aribo is one of the most improved midfielders we currently have in the Super Eagles. I’ve followed his games lately, especially with the new coach at Southampton, and the guy is good. At the moment, he’s one of their best players. In my opinion, we need him in our 1st eleven. Maybe watching Southampton’s next couple of games would help change your opinion.
Onwajunior my man, your opinion is valued.
Yes, he has improved, but is the midfield his best position? I think not, based on his past performances. We hardly ever dominate the midfield when he’s there, especially against African teams. E get why.
If we look in the past, we have good examples like Muda Lawal, Oliseh, and Onazi. There are others, but I will focus on these guys as the type of midfield players we need today.
Okocha is a once-in-a-blue-moon of type player. His type comes once in a lifetime. As for Mikel, though talented, he never really fulfilled his enormous potential in my opinion.
The likes of Muda Lawal, Oliseh, and Onazi represent the grit, strength, aggression, skills set and fighting spirit that we desperately need today. I just don’t see Aribo as fitting into these group. The lads I believe will do a decent job in the midfield, I have already listed them in my previous post.
Now, if Aribo incorporates the necessary qualities into his game, of course, let’s see what he can bring to the table. But if it’s the Aribo I’ve been watching this season, the same old Aribo, we will be tempting fate if we feature him in the midfield against African teams, especially the elite ones.
Lol. I have never watched a super eagles game where Aribo started and played badly. He plays in more defensive position under Rohr which is why people think he’s not good. At an attacking position, he would perform a better job than Iwobi. For reasons best know to him, Rohr never played him there. Eguaveon did and we saw how beast-like he is. The move to southampton dipped his form especially when they relegated. He’s back in form now and I’m sure he is in a contention in the starting XI
@Big Boss, did he play well at the Afcon?? That assertion that he played in a defensive position is not accurate at all. Under Rohr, the DM was always Ndidi whilst Aribo played the box to box role and Iwobi in the AM role.
Southampton is in a relegation position for a reason and Aribo has been playing in their midfield position. It is an unending cycle! These players will play in 1 game and score then fans that clamoring for their inclusion. How about giving other players who have not been given the numerous chances that these average players have been given and let us see what the outcome will be. Can you honestly say that Aribo is better than Fisayo Dele Bashiru? How about Uche Chrisantus? I named this two because they both are challenging for the box to box position. I do not think so. With Akinsanmiro getting minutes and possibly moving to Bologna next season, I fear he might even fall further below the pecking order.
The Super Eagles team is at the precipice of greatness but only if we put our best foot forward. I am eagerly waiting for Chelle’s list as it will indicate if he will succeed or not. Right now, he has been setup to fail. I heard NFF have mandated that he includes 3 home based players in his list. It is just backward thinking by NFF, the best players are plying their trade abroad and selection should be based on merit and not political correctness. They will insist on the home based players so they profit from their transfers to dodgy leagues. Many criticized Okocha for his outburst but he was spot on; these Politicians are ruining our football. They ensure that the best players are out of the team and then load the team with mediocre players.