Huddersfield Town earned a hard-fought point against Southampton yesterday, battling back from a goal down.
Charlie Austin netted the opener for the hosts, before Laurent Depoitre buried his third match in three successive games to hand Town a draw on the south coast.
Here are five things Rory Benson learned from the clash.
Town have kept their Terrier spirit from last season
That battling-back attitude that was evident last year was once again on display today.
Town rode their luck undoubtedly, with the defence not quite as organised as usual, but they threw everything on the line to earn the point on the south coast.
That was epitomised by Jonas Lössl, who took two blows to the face for the cause.
Jonas Lössl is indestructible
Do we have a rival to Jonathan Hogg on our hands as hardest man in the Town team?
Lössl took a nasty, cynical kick from Charlie Austin to the nose in the first half before clattering his head against the post in the second, diving in an attempt to save a header.
But don’t worry Town fans, he’s expected to don the number one shirt against Stoke City on Boxing Day
Being clinical is still an issue
In his post-match press conference, David Wagner said: “We created four good chances and I was a bit angry at half time because it’s not all about performances - you have to put the ball in the net.”
That’s the first time we’ve really seen David Wagner value results over performances, which shows that having the same issue crop up each week is not good enough for the boss.
Being back at the John Smith’s Stadium for the next match should help that - with Town much more creative and clinical in front of their own fans.
Laurent Depoitre will score a goal for you
The big man is on fire - and is Town’s number one forward now.
Steve Mounié has not been firing in the way his opening day brace would have suggested, and the Belgian’s all-round performances have put him at the top of the pecking order.
Hopefully he can net another against the Potters in two days’ time.
Town are four wins from survival - max
If Town can earn four more victories in the second half of the season, I fully expect them to stay up.
That would take them to 34 points, with Wagner’s men likely to pick up more points through draws.
It may even only take three wins for the Terriers to earn survival - and Town can definitely do that against the teams they still have to play - barring something disastrous.
Touch wood.
