Five things we learned from Fulham v Southampton

Here are five things we learned from the game:

1. Stuart Armstrong has arrived:

The Scottish international struggled during the early part of the season after his summer move from Celtic.

He was often left out of Hughes’ side whilst he adapted to the demands of the Premier League, but his two goals at Fulham show that he is now ready to become an integral part of the line-up.

The midfielder headed into the match at Craven Cottage full of confidence due to an excellent international break with Scotland where he flourished.

And despite the loss to Fulham, Armstrong should take pleasure in his own performance.

2. Danny Ings was a huge miss:

Aleksandar Mitrovic proved to be the difference between Saints and Fulham.

The Serbian was deadly in front of goal when he was given half a chance, which is something Saints can’t say for themselves.

They missed a number of chances which you would expect Ings to bury into the back of the net.

Charlie Austin had a quiet game by his standards and didn’t manage to threaten the Fulham goal during his time on the pitch.

Saints will be hoping Ings makes a quick recovery from his hamstring injury because Hughes’ side need his desperately.

3. Wesley Hoedt had a shocker:

The defender was at fault for two of Fulham’s goals.

He left Mitrovic unmarked in the area to get the hosts level shortly after Saints had taken the lead through Armstrong.

And then it was his mistake that led to Claudio Ranieri’s team getting the winner.

Hoedt had the ball in the corner, and under pressure from Andre Schurrle, failed to clear it away into the stand.

Instead, he decided to attempt a pass which fell to a Fulham player and led to Mitrovic’s winner.

4. Saints fail to see the game out - again:

It’s not the first time this season that Saints have thrown away a winning position and come away with nothing, but when will they learn?

After taking the lead, Hughes’ team were in control of the match and had no reason to allow Fulham back into the contest.

But once again, Saints found a way to make basic errors to let the opposition gain a bit of momentum and cause some trouble in the area.

5. Michael Obafemi deserves a start:

With the injury list piling up for Hughes in the attacking third of the pitch, Obafemi will be itching to make his first start for Saints.

The 18-year-old is full of confidence after making his international debut for the Republic of Ireland against Denmark.

Obafemi offers something different up-front with his blistering pace. He has the ability to cause the opposition’s defence nightmares if he gets a ball in behind.

The youngster was denied a late equaliser by Fulham’s Sergio Rico but you get the sense that he isn’t too far away from his first goal.