SAINTS GO MARCHING IN
Leeds 0 Southampton 1: Adam Armstrong scores the £140million goal as Saints return to Premier League at first attempt
Leeds suffer heartbreak after narrowly missing out on automatic promotion
ADAM ARMSTRONG will never have scored a more valuable goal.
The striker’s cool 24th-minute winner is worth at least £140MILLION to Southampton now they are back in the Premier League.
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Armstrong cost Saints £15m when he moved from Blackburn three years ago and that is already small change with his 24 goals this season worth their weight in gold.
For Leeds it was yet more play-off misery at Wembley yesterday.
This is six attempts now the Yorkshire side have tried to go up via this route – and all have failed.
They lacked a cutting edge in the final third and were made to pay.
Where was Crysencio Summeville? In fact, where has he been since he won the Championship player of the season last month? Wilfried Gnonto – who has been brilliant this season – could not find a performance.
And Georginio Rutter is yet to show anyone why Leeds paid Hoffenheim £36million for him only last year.
Russell Martin did a number on his former Norwich boss Daniel Farke – tactically outwitting the German.
Despite being Europe’s pass masters – enjoying more possession than any club in the top five European leagues this season – Southampton won this with less than their opponents.
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While everyone has been highlighting Kieran McKenna’s incredible rise from League One to the Premier League with Ipswich, Martin has also enjoyed a huge climb.
Martin less than three years ago was managing MK Dons in League One. In August he will be up against the likes of Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.
Southampton fan turned player Will Smallbone can't wait to take on Leeds at Wembley in Championship Play-Off final
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Nine years to the weekend he climbed the steps of the Royal Box as Norwich captain to lift the play-off trophy, he was up there again as a manager.
Martin took charge in the summer having to pick up a club devastated by relegation.
He was forced to lose stars such as James Ward-Prowse, Romeo Lavia and Tino Livramento; he was able to build an excellent squad.
The loan signings of West Ham’s Flynn Downes, Newcastle’s Ryan Fraser and Bournemouth’s David Brooks have proved inspired.
Bringing Will Smallbone back into the side after his season away on loan to Stoke was every bit as crucial, but to win games of this magnitude, you need goalscorers. And while Leeds do not have an out-and-out scorer, Saints did in Armstrong.
And it was Smallbone and Armstrong who combined to bring about the decisive moment.
Smallbone’s pass was a peach to cut open the Leeds defence and Armstrong had run through to shoot into the bottom left corner.
The striker said: “I don't know what to say. Look at this, it's what we've been working on all year. We knew how good the Championship has been this season, what a way to win, what a way to go up.
“I saw the space in behind, I saw Will win the ball back and I knew if I kept it low and hard I would score and it would go in.
“It means everything. The gaffer and his staff came in pre-season, put their marker down on what they wanted and look at this, this is why we're footballers, we want to be involved in the biggest games, what a way to win.”
Southampton went into the game with a psychological advantage over their opponents – having done the league double over Leeds during the regular season.
But Leeds started strongly. After Smallbone lost possession, Archie Gray drove forward and fired a low shot just wide of the right post.
Gray – at just 18 years old and 70 days – made Leeds history by becoming the club’s youngest player to appear for them at Wembley.
Ironically, he beat his dad Andy’s record that he set in the 1996 League Cup Final against Aston Villa. That day, like this one, ended in heartache.
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Southampton had barely got going but went in front.
Armstrong ran into space behind the two centre halves to pick up a defence-splitting pass from Smallbone before coolly shooting past Meslier.
It completed a hat-trick of goals against Leeds – having scored in both previous league games too.
Saints ace Brooks had to hobble off 11 minutes before the break after picking up a groin injury and was replaced by Sam Edozie.
Meslier had to make an outstanding low save to keep out Armstrong.
Farke was getting frustrated and animated on the touchline as his team struggled to make an impression.
After the break, Leeds charged forward through Joe Rodon and after a quick one-two with Gnonto he elected to shoot despite Joel Piroe being in a better position.
And he could not get the ball out of his feet and eventually it fell to Summerville who curled wide.
Nothing seemed to be coming off for the Yorkshire side. Despite enjoying more possession, they had only managed to register one shot on target in the first hour.
Dan James came on for Gnonto and, with seven minutes left, almost scored a sensational leveller.
Picking up the ball from 20 yards he thumped an effort that beat Alex McCarthy but the ball bounced back off the crossbar.
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James, who got a nasty bash on the head and had to be patched up, was unlucky again when he saw a well-struck curling effort saved by McCarthy.
And the Saints celebration began. There will be a lot of sore heads on the Hampshire coast this morning.