For the first time since 1988, Southampton has ended a day in first place in England's top division. The team from the south coast achieved the feat on Friday without its best player.

Southampton overcame the absence of injured top scorer Danny Ings to beat Newcastle 2-0, with fellow striker Che Adams and midfielder Stuart Armstrong scoring at St. Mary's.
Since opening with back-to-back losses, including a humiliating 5-2 thrashing at home by Tottenham, the Saints have won five of their six games and drawn the other one at Chelsea.

It''s quite the turnaround for the team managed by Austrian coach Ralph Hasenh�ttl, but that''s nothing new. Last season, Southampton lost 9-0 at home to Leicester on one of the darkest days in the club's history but managed to regroup and finish the season as one of the form teams during the lockdown.