Southampton emerged from the tunnel with renewed purpose. Their manager had made two changes—fresh legs in midfield and attack, bodies that hadn't absorbed forty-five minutes of Bradford's patient pressure.
Jake noted the substitutions without concern. His system had predicted this response—home teams trailing by single goals invariably increased their tempo after the break. The question wasn't whether Southampton would push forward, but how Bradford would exploit the spaces that desperation created.
The ball moved quickly in the opening exchanges. Southampton's new midfielder immediately pressed higher, forcing Ethan to receive the ball under tighter pressure than he'd faced in the first half.
The young midfielder adapted smoothly. When space closed around him, he found Chapman or Lowe with simple passes. When gaps opened, he drove forward with pace that stretched Southampton's defensive shape.
