Southampton saw their slim automatic promotion hopes crumble at the hands of Ipswich Town last night, but one player showed his worth to Russell Martin.
As Southampton entered Portman Road last night, Russell Martin‘s men knew they were entering must-win territory.
The South Coasters started the evening 10 points behind Ipswich Town and thought they could close the gap to seven after taking a 2-1 lead through Che Adams and Adam Armstrong.
Sadly, the hosts fought back as they have done so many times this season, equalising through Nathan Broadhead before grabbing a 97th-minute winner through Jeremy Sarmiento, either side of a James Bree red card.
Southampton’s hearts were left shattered after dominating large spells of the contest with midfielder Flynn Downes playing a huge role.
Flynn Downes’s performance vs Ipswich
Downes started in a midfield trio with Joe Aribo and Stuart Armstrong last night, as the Saints took control of the engine room battle, largely thanks to the 25-year-old West Ham loanee.
The Englishman, previously hailed as “monstrous” by Martin, put in a display worthy of that tag.
Downes acted as a pivot in front of the Saints defence, sweeping up possession by winning five of his seven ground duels, two tackles and intercepting once while controlling the rhythm of possession centrally.
Pulling the strings alongside his two midfield compatriots, the former Swansea City playmaker completed 89% of his passes (59/66), placed two accurate long balls, executed two key passes and one big chance created.
Downes bossed the midfield against one of the division’s best sides with journalist Felix Keith picking him out for his “great” performance.
With the Saints almost certainly finishing in the play-offs instead of the top two, barring any miracles, Martin must try to sign the Hammers technician permanently.
Southampton must sign Flynn Downes permanently
Downes showed why he’s integral to carrying out Martin’s possession-based system and having worked with him at Swansea, the 38-year-old must want to sign him permanently.
Martin has previously dropped a hint over his stance on the player, waxing lyrical about the attributes he brings to this Saints side.
“He is a big player for us, he is important,” he told the Athletic. “He’s a brilliant character, he’s a winner, someone who’s aggressive and a brilliant athlete too.”
Having played 27 games in the Championship as an aggressive deep-lying playmaker, Downes is the fulcrum of Martin’s system.
When he’s taken out of the squad, much like Kyle Walker-Peters last night, the Saints have suffered and that is exactly why they must prioritise signing him in the summer, regardless of the division.