Graham Smyth's Leeds United player ratings v Southampton as trio score 3/10 and three 4s

The Saints approached the contest having lost four games on the spin but Russell Martin’s side made a strong start and took just two minutes to open the scoring through Adam Armstrong. Kyle Walker-Peters advanced down the right and played a through ball between Liam Cooper and Sam Byram for Armstrong who advanced on Illan Meslier before producing a neat dinked finish from a tight angle.

Southampton then doubled their lead just after the half hour mark through Will Smallbone who prodded home a clinical finish following a cutback from Kamaldeen Sulemana who got in behind Jamie Shackleton down the left flank.

As part of a dreadful first half, things then got a whole lot worse just four minutes later when the Saints bagged a third as an Armstrong strike took a nick off Pascal Struijk for a Whites own goal. Armstrong was picked out by a crossfield pass into the box from Sulemana and the Saints attacker turned Byram inside out before unleashing a low drive which deflected off Struijk into the back of the net.

Leeds finally pulled a goal back in the 58th minute via a neat turn and finish from Struijk at a corner but the damage had been done as Daniel Farke’s side fell to a second Championship defeat.

Graham Smyth, the YEP’s chief football writer, hands out the scores from a day to forget at St Mary’s.