At The Hawthorns, the two teams squared off in sweltering heat, but neither was able to break the tie.This means that, in order to decide who will play in the final at Wembley on May 26, both clubs will essentially play a single game in the return leg at St. Mary’s on Friday night. In the first leg, there were few and far between opportunities. Grady Diangana’s header from close range was superbly saved by Alex McCarthy, while Adam Armstrong missed Southampton’s finest opportunity. One unexpected addition was made by Southampton manager Russell Martin, who decided to start Sekou Mara instead of Che Adams, who had not been cleared to play.
In the West Brom draw, Adam Armstrong was not thrilled with Sekou Mara.
Few people anticipated that Mara would start in such a significant match, especially considering how poorly he performed the previous time he got the starting nod against Stoke City. However, the 21-year-old got his chance since Ross Stewart was not yet fit to start and Adams was unable to heal in time from the muscle strain that forced him off against Leeds United.
Regretfully, Mara wasted the chance, as he has so frequently this season. When Armstrong, his strike partner, was providing commentary for BBC Radio Solent, former Saint Jo Tessem observed the 27-year-old become more irritated with his rookie attacker. “Sekou Mara has been very still and stationary in this game so far,” Tessem noted. Adam Armstrong appears to be really irritated with him and wants to see more of his partner.
Martin’s confidence in Mara to substitute for Adams in such a significant game speaks volumes about how highly the Saints manager regards the Frenchman. Sadly, though, Mara has not performed well when given the opportunity to start games this season, save from the occasional peek. Stewart is racking up minutes as fast as he can, so it’s not out of the question that Mara has made his final play-off appearance. Adams is anticipated to be available once again for the home leg against West Brom and then the final, should Southampton advance.
It’s even possible that Martin would switch to his preferred 4-3-3 formation and start Armstrong as the central striker if Adams is unable to return in time for Friday’s match. However, the former Blackburn Rovers player has not fared well in the role of lone center forward this year. Mara’s chances of being a successful Southampton player may be dwindling.