Southampton 0-1 Bournemouth Highlights
Watch Southampton 0-1 Bournemouth as Tavernier strike a goal against Southampton in a premier league meeting at St. Mary’s stadium.
As the Southampton is on the 20th position of the premier league points table, Bournemouth is on 14th position of premier league points table.
Saints have now been cut adrift at the bottom of the Premier League, with Ruben Selles’ side – who failed to display any urgency until the final minutes of such a crucial game now six points from safety with just five matches still to play.
There was delight in the away end though, with the result providing Bournemouth with a huge boost to their hopes of survival. Gary O’Neil’s side are now 14th, seven points above the drop zone and likely needing just one more win to confirm their top-flight status for another season.
The hosts edged a cagey opening 15 minutes, with Theo Walcott testing Neto with a low drive and Adam Armstrong glancing a shot against the post from a tight angle, but they were quickly overcome with nerves during a stormy night on the south coast.
The nerves emanating from the home crowd were audible and grew louder with every slip and misplaced pass, with Alex McCarthy starting over Gavin Bazunu, who was dropped – failing to inspire confidence.
There was heartbreak for the home fans in the final moments when Che Adams’ equaliser was disallowed for a marginal offside, and their reaction at full-time suggested they know their side’s race is almost run.
The goalkeeper – who was making his first Premier League start of the season – was relieved to see Matias Vina’s goal ruled out for a tight offside against Dominic Solanke, and the Cherries striker then flashed a shot over the bar after the Saints’ defence allowed him to wander into their penalty area.
The hosts were then struck with their first body blow at half-time when inspirational captain James Ward-Prowse failed to appear for the second half due to illness.
This prompted a curious decision from Selles, who replaced the midfielder with Lyanco, a centre-back, and switched to a five-player defence.
This only served to encourage Bournemouth, who swiftly hit their rivals with their second blow as Tavernier danced in from the right wing before guiding a shot past McCarthy and inside the far post.
Jan Bednarek then got away with a blatant handball before Tavernier – who has been hampered by injuries in 2023 – left the field with his head in his hands after suffering a hamstring issue.
Ruben selles on Postmatch interview
Ruben selles said, “We are going to go and try to put a performance in every game to try to win and we are going to do it until the very end. “I know it’s only five games to play but we are professionals and we will fight until the very last point.
“I know now it’s hard, I know the table is looking like it’s a difficult one but we are going to give it a try.” Selles added: “It’s a disappointing night. We came with the intention to put in a good performance and we obviously didn’t.
“Some of the things that can go against us, they went against us. Even the offside goal, it’s a couple of centimetres but it is offside. It was a hard night.”
Gary O Neil on postmatch interview
Gary O Neil said, “It’s a big win for us, of course,” said O’Neil. “The performance was pleasing. I thought we were by far the better side today.
“The lads are recovering for Sunday [at home to Leeds]. There’s no celebration, there’s not talk of points tallies. I can easily see 36 points going down this year. We won’t be resting.”
