As the ball bounced towards the Old Trafford touchline on Saturday, two players raced after it. One was a 20-year-old striker, the other an £80million centre-back. The chase proved something of a non-contest.
It was Armando Broja who managed to collect possession with ease ahead of Harry Maguire. The Manchester United captain had been run ragged by the Albania international, physically drained by a player with just 20 Premier League appearances to his name.
Maguire attempted to halt Broja's progress but in four touches the Southampton star, on loan from Chelsea, was clear and into the Manchester United penalty area.
Fortunately for United, Diogo Dalot was on hand to contain Broja before Maguire lumbered back into the box and barged the striker off the ball. No penalty was given. It was a contentious call.
All the above happened in just eight seconds but encapsulated not only Broja's performance against Manchester United but his season to date.
Thrust into the ruthless world that is the Premier League, Broja has thrived. He has six goals to his name and has won over supporters and pundits alike.
"He's really impressed," said ex-Arsenal defender Martin Keown during Southampton's draw against Manchester United. "He's a physical specimen as well: the ball has been going into him and Maguire hasn't been able to win it.
"He's got everything to his game. He bullies Maguire. So quick, direct. This man is so difficult to play against."
Broja's rise over the past two-and-a-half seasons has shocked many within the Chelsea academy. After the first year of his scholarship, he had netted just twice for the Under-18s and was behind George Nunn in the pecking order.
However, after finding his goalscoring touch in the summer of 2019 while away with Albania's Under-19s and Under-21s, Broja's career has accelerated at an almost unimaginable pace.
He scored 20 goals for Chelsea's Development Squad and Under-18s during the 2019/20 campaign – in which he signed his first professional contract – and followed that up with a successful year at Vitesse in which he netted 11 times.
Broja spent much of pre-season with the Blues' first-team squad working under Thomas Tuchel and impressed with goals in friendly matches against Peterborough and Bournemouth. He also signed a new five-year deal with Chelsea, recognition for his rapid development.
His loan switch to Southampton came soon after. Some felt the Premier League was too big a leap, that the momentum Broja had built would be halted. How wrong that has proved.
Such has been the academy graduate's form, Southampton head coach Ralph Hassenhuttl has made it clear he would like to keep Broja at St Mary's and the Saints considered a January bid for the striker.
That didn't materialise but Hassenhuttl hasn't been discreet in his desire to extend Broja's time on the south coast. “He knows how important it is for him as a player to play continuously," the Austrian said last week.
“Here he gets that chance and has shown he fits us and our shape. There are a lot of examples where players after changing clubs do not perform like they have done with us.”
"It is important he knows this and that his agent knows this.We have a good relationship with Chelsea and are in good contact. He is their player. We have tried to develop him here, and I think we have.
“If they think we should do it another year and do not want to sell him in the summer, then there is no better spot to be."
Southampton are not the only club to have an interest in Broja, however. football.london understands Arsenal are monitoring the 20-year-old and the Gunners will not be alone in doing so.
But there will be no panic on the part of Chelsea regarding Broja, the contract he signed in the summer gives the club control over what comes next. There is very little Arsenal or any other club can do to force the Blues' hand.
And as far as Tuchel is concerned, the youngster still has something to prove between now and the end of the campaign.
“He’s our player and he’s doing good, but at the same time it’s only half a season, so he needs to continue to improve and to make his statement at Southampton,” Tuchel said last month.
“We have a reason why they are our players, they have quality and mentality and now they are out there on their own in different environments and clubs, and proving themselves.
“Armando’s getting better and better, he’s a very unique player with unique strengths in his game – he has speed, he’s robust and he’s a goalscorer."
Broja has showcased that and more at Southampton. He is a Premier League-ready striker and one of the best young players in Europe. Chelsea must ensure there is a pathway for him on his return from St Mary's, that he will not become an afterthought in what is expected to be a busy summer.
Fail to do so and there will be plenty of other clubs ready to try to prise him away from Stamford Bridge. Although that will certainly not be an easy task.
