What’s Hot and What’s Not from Southampton’s Europa League campaign

HOT – Southampton 3-0 Sparta Prague

It’s unlikely that many people would have had Sparta Prague as group winners following their comprehensive 3-0 defeat at St Mary’s back in September.

Charlie Austin netted twice and Jay Rodriguez added a third late on to seal Puel’s first win in charge, and it sparked a seven-game unbeaten run, in which time they conceded just one goal.

Yet, since that win on September 15, Sparta won four of their five Europa League matches, while the Saints picked just one further victory, and lost in the Czech capital in November.

Nonetheless, it was a great evening for the Saints as they announced their return to European competition with an easy win.