Former Championship star Dean Ashton thinks that Southampton set up the way West Brom would have done to frustrate Leeds United in the Championship playoff final.
Russell Martin came up with a game plan to get the better of Leeds boss Daniel Farke and the Whites struggled to show the attacking power they often had on display in the regular Championship season.
Adam Armstrong scored the only goal of the game in the first half to hand Saints a 1-0 win and a ticket back to the Premier League big time.
Many expected a game full of goals given the respective records of the two teams in the Championship this season, but Southampton expertly blocked off Leeds’ ability to do damage.
Ex-Championship star Ashton feels that Leeds would have thought the game would be more open, but Southampton took a page out of the West Brom playbook.
“I think Leeds would have thought if it had been West Brom, what a tough game that is for us because West Brom will sit in, they will deny us the space, it doesn’t play to our strengths, we will find it difficult”, Ashton said post match on talkSPORT.
“They probably thought Southampton would be nice and open and we’ll get some joy.
“It wasn’t the case. Southampton did what West Brom probably would have done and that’s when you have to then be really, really aggressive out wide.”
Leeds now have to rebuild over the summer and prepare for another season in the Championship, while Southampton will plot their return to the top flight.
