Southampton fans have taken to Twitter to drool over Jack Stephens’ performance against Tottenham on New Year’s Day.
The Saints recorded a surprise win over Jose Mourinho’s side to take them up to 12th in the Premier League table, having amassed ten points from a possible 12 across their last four games – Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have beaten Aston Villa, Chelsea and Spurs, while drawing against Crystal Palace.
Last time out against the north Londoners, Stephens was brilliant and a huge reason for Southampton picking up three points.
The 25-year-old received the WhoScored Man of the Match award for his showing against Spurs with a 7.99 match rating, on a day where he was an imperious figure at the back.
Stephens successfully recorded two tackles and two interceptions, as well as a whopping eight clearances.
The centre-back was also quite effective with the ball at his feet, completing 40 passes and seeing seven of his 15 attempted long balls come off successfully – one of which landed perfectly into the path of Danny Ings, who fired home for what turned out to be the winning goal.
It really was a brilliant performance from Southampton’s No.5, and it has not gone unnoticed amongst these Saints fans on Twitter.
One supporter dubbed Stephens as the “Plymouth Puyol” after his performance against Spurs, likening him to the former Barcelona and Spain legend Carles Puyol – perhaps a slight exaggeration, but high praise nonetheless.
Another fan named Mark said that Stephens is in line to be the biggest surprise of the season, before saying that he plays with “heart, passion and gives 100%”.
Elsewhere, The Saint Centre called the former Plymouth Argyle defender a “new man” before saying that Stephens has “played out of his skin recently”.
Furthermore, one fan said that Stephens is “stepping up” while also adding that competition is still needed amongst the backline in the January transfer window.
Another fan with the username ‘Kingsland Corner’ thought the centre-back was “exceptional” against Mourinho’s men.
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Lastly, Jason mentioned that Stephens “looks a different player now” before crediting “support and team shape” for transforming the defender’s season.
In other news, these Southampton fans heap praise on ace who has “turned his form around”…
