Few doubted the high difficulty facing Russell Martin at Southampton this season. This lesson in south-coast superiority only confirmed that. If Saints’ manager has credit in the bank, his team’s inability to learn from mistakes is beginning to bite.
The best that can be said for Saints is that there may be safety in numbers. This was the last chance for the promoted teams to pick up a win from the first six Premier League rounds.
Bournemouth had won once in their previous nine matches but they were a class above, and though they wobbled in the second half as Saints, much of the pressure lifted, came into the game, they always retained a danger on the counter.
Two high-minded managers, neither given to push the pragmatism button, faced off, and it was pressing that prevailed over possession. Ahead of kick-off, Martin marched to the away supporters with arms wide in recognition. Andoni Iraola, serving out a suspension, was confined to the stands for a highly welcome first home win of the season that lifted his team above Manchester United.
Ryan Fraser, the former home hero turned hated Covid refusenik, was booed on every touch. The Southampton fans affected indifference to Bournemouth by declaring their rivalry with Portsmouth as the one “south coast derby”. With five strikers on Saints’ bench, the 18-year-old Tyler Dibling led the attack as a false 9 and his team actually began brighter. Maxwel Cornet had a shot deflected behind, Fraser also having a dig as the ball fell loose.
Southampton’s achilles heel all season has been vulnerability in possession, and a lack of due care and attention after losing it. Bournemouth’s first goal followed the template. Charlie Taylor’s hoick upfield from left-back found its way to Antoine Semenyo, and when Flynn Downes fouled the winger, Marcus Tavernier’s quickly taken free-kick found Evanilson. After five matches without a goal, including a fateful penalty miss against Chelsea, the Brazilian made no mistake. His £40m fee, and the £15m profit cleared by the concurrent sale of Dominic Solanke, had its first downpayment.
Coughing up possession is ill-advised against Bournemouth, who attack in numbers. As the first half drew on, Southampton were rendered incapable of playing Martin’s prescribed possession game as Bournemouth squeezed play. Defending became problematic, too. Semenyo surged into the box, checked and Lewis Cook’s shot deflected off Dango Ouattara and beyond Ramsdale, the scorer played onside by ball-watching Saints.
Semenyo, rampant now, having roasted Taylor for that second, next turned Lesley Ugochukwu inside out and drilled a low shot beyond Ramsdale’s wingspan. The away team’s heads had gone down, despite Martin’s continued exhortations from the bench. Bournemouth, from five attempts, with four on target, were ruthless in exposing his team.
That Fraser was one of three half-time changes from Martin caused great delight to the home fans, with Ugochukwu and Cornet joining him. Beyond Dibling, most of the starting XI deserved the hook after that horrible half-hour, and on came two forwards in Ben Brereton Díaz and Ross Stewart, Joe Aribo adding midfield zip as Dibling moved to the right flank. Was a highly unlikely redemption on the cards? Taylor Harwood-Bellis’s stooping header gave the visitors hope.
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As laser yellow shirts poured forward, a comeback was not beyond the realms of possibility. Martin, his voice now a husk, and his assistants pored over notebooks in search of a further rung to climb back into the game. His team began to enjoy dominance in possession, Bournemouth and their fans no longer so sure of themselves.
Bournemouth sent on Justin Kluivert for Ouattara, and Southampton’s ascendancy began to ebb. Semenyo might have finished off the contest but dragged wide after another sweeping move. Cook then intercepted in midfield and arrowed the ball straight to Evanilson, this time unable to beat Ramsdale. Martin next sent on Adam Lallana, the returned veteran given 20 minutes to rescue a result.
Lallana dragged an effort wide but the better chances fell to Bournemouth, Ryan Christie firing off target and Luis Sinisterra forcing a Ramsdale save. If Saints had shown improvement, it was not nearly enough for this game, or the challenges that lie ahead.