Bournemouth ran out 3-1 winners in the Premier League’s Monday night fixture with all three goals coming in the first half, as the hosts ran riot for 22 minutes.
Record signing, Evanilson, opened his Bournemouth account and the evening's scoring on 17 minutes after some quick thinking from Marcus Tavernier, with Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo adding two further goals to the scoreline before half-time.
Saints pull one back
The visitors managed to claw one goal back early on through young defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis, but it was not enough as Bournemouth controlled the remainder of the game despite not having the possession.
The win leaves Bournemouth on eight points in 11th place but their south coast neighbours down in 19th on just one point and without a win.
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Player Ratings
It was Kepa’s home debut after playing his previous two games away, and he did not have much to do.
He made a couple of good saves to deny Southampton any more than one goal, but most of his evening was with the ball at his feet.
Adam Smith - 7
Southampton seemed to target his side of the pitch, feeding the ball to Ryan Fraser or launching long balls over for Smith to challenge in the air.
But despite this threat, Smith managed to handle the Saints’ attack and put in a solid shift at the back against some quick players.
Illia Zabarnyi - 7
The Ukrainian had a few balls over the top to deal with and Southampton ramped up the crosses in the second half, so he had a busy time in the air.
Overall, Zabarnyi put in a decent performance during difficult spells in the second half, denying any further goals for the visitors.
Marcos Senesi - 8
Senesi was crucial in Bournemouth’s attempts to retain possession from Southampton players when they were in front of the box and hunted down the opposition, forcing them back towards their own goal.
He was aggressive in his play and was quick in pinging balls over the top and carrying his team up the pitch to release a runner. Altogether, it was a commanding performance.
Milos Kerkez - 7
As always, Kerkez was constantly bombing up and down the wing, offering his teammates an overlap when on the same side.
His link-up play with Dango Ouattara was exciting to watch, as both players seem to complement each other's speed and technique to great effect, taking turns in getting behind the visitor’s defence on multiple occasions.
Lewis Cook - 7
Whilst Bournemouth lost the midfield a little in the second half, Cook was a key player in Bournemouth’s attacking threat in the first half and disrupting Southampton’s play through the middle.
Cook did not hold back in getting stuck in and routinely regained possession to move his team up the pitch.
In the second half, he was key in ensuring the Saints could not play freely through the midfield, making it awkward for them at times.
Ryan Christie - 8
The Scotsman put in a relentless performance in the middle, constantly running on and off the ball and was important in providing Bournemouth’s second win of the season.
Off the ball, Christie pressed and hurried opposition players, either forcing errors out of them or forcing them to look backwards, rather than towards the attackers.
On the ball, he was tenacious and his effort to find positive passes provided a constant threat, helping out Bournemouth’s attackers massively.
Marcus Tavernier - 7
It was Tavernier’s quick thinking that carved out the first goal, as he popped the ball over for Evanilson to get on the end of, which was the turning point in the first half.
He played a more central role for large parts of the game, coming in for Justin Kluivert and his tricky feet proved difficult for Southampton’s players to handle.
Whether it was for tactical or squad rotation purposes, Andoni Iraola’s decision to play him in the middle turned out to be for the better.
Dango Ouattara - 7
Bournemouth fans were likely shocked when they saw the team sheet with Ouattara’s name on it, given the recent performances of Luis Sinisterra.
But they had little to worry about after the first 20 minutes, as he gave Yukinari Sugawara a torrid evening under the lights.
Iraola clearly saw Ouatarra’s pace as an effective weapon on that side of the pitch and the Burkinabè used it for the entirety of his time on the pitch.
Ouatarra also (luckily) bagged himself a goal, which after the two goals he has already had taken away from him this season so far, is only fair.
Antoine Semenyo - 9
Semenyo is not unfamiliar with putting in Man of the Match performances and he managed to do it again with ease.
His goal was a work of art and completely self-made, as he toyed with multiple Southampton defenders before firing in a low, powerful thunderbolt into Aaron Ramsdale’s far corner.
But even before his goal, his direct running and strength were key in creating the second goal and became a real thorn in the side of any Saints' player who was charged with stopping him.
Evanilson - 8
Evanilson ends his goal drought
Coming into the game, many fans were pinning this fixture as the game for Evanilson to get on the scoresheet, perhaps with a bit of worry about how long it has taken for the new striker to get his first goal.
But fans need not have worried because it was his tidy finish in between Jan Bednarek and Taylor Harwood-Bellis and in front of an oncoming Ramsdale that provided the opening goal in the fixture, ending his goal drought and getting his season up and running.
For the whole game, the Brazilian bullied defenders, held up the ball, pressed and pinged searching passes to offer fans more scoring opportunities on a clinical night at The Vitality Stadium.
Cherries fans will hope for more of the same for the rest of the campaign.
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Substitutes:
Alex Scott - 6
Was used in a more attacking position and sometimes drifted wide, where he held the ball up well when needed and even provided a dangerous pass or two.
Justin Kluivert - 6
The Dutchman created some chances for his fellow teammates to add to the scoreline and even himself, but could not find that final piece of quality.
Enes Ünal - 6
Replaced Evanilson and was used as an outlet as Southampton grew more into the game in the second half.
Did a decent job overall and provided that presence up front when the ball was down his end.
Luis Sinisterra - N/A
Came on too late to have any impact.
