Southampton midfielder Joe Rothwell reacts to his side’s 4-2 victory over Sunderland at St Mary’s Stadium.

Southampton midfielder Joe Rothwell praised Sunderland’s man-to-man marking after coming off the bench to score twice against the Black Cats.

The 29-year-old came off the bench in the 73rd minute at St Mary’s, after Sunderland had pulled level, and scored twice in a three-minute span to give the hosts a 4-2 triumph. “I felt there were chances,” Rothwell stated following the game. “They played man-for-man all over the field, so I knew there would be room behind their defense.

“If we could pick it up and make the correct pass, there would be opportunities. The manager called me on and urged me to be free and attempt to score a goal.

“Fortunately, two have dropped perfectly for me today. I’m pleased with the first one. I’m really proud of my technique. I work hard at striking the ball most days. I knew if I put my head above the ball and caught it sweetly, it had a fair chance of going in.”

Southampton led 2-0 before half-time, but Sunderland equalized via goals from Romaine Mundle and Jobe Bellingham.

“I think we were fully in control at 2-0 and there were two sucker punches there to get them back into the game,” Rothwell said. “The momentum was undoubtedly on their side. It just reflects the group we have in the changing room. Adversity happens. You come through that, and happily, we were able to obtain a positive outcome once they returned to the game.”

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