Bournemouth 0-0 Southampton: Player ratings – 20/10/18

Southampton show promise in an industrious stalemate against Bournemouth this afternoon at the Vitality Stadium.

In a shocking twist to this season’s usual fare, the Saints defence looked cool, calm, and relatively untroubled against a usually free-flowing Bournemouth. Although the Cherries fired a few near-misses across the bow, the back-line looked at its most stable this season.

This comes despite the fact that Wesley Hoedt continued at the back while Jack Stephens came for his first start since August, despite many calls for Jan Bednarek or Maya Yoshida to retain their spots in the defence.

Although there is reason to be cheerful at the back, forward woes persist. Mark Hughes’ men missed vital opportunities to take a key three points back to Hampshire. Arguably, Saints provided the stronger quality in the production of the chances but failed to take one in a tight game.

Here are the player ratings for the knock-off derby against Bournemouth.