Southampton 1-3 Bournemouth: Premier League – Three Key Players

Cedric Soares

In a night where Jan Bednarek also shone, even in spite of the scoreline, special praise needs to be reserved for Cedric in light of his industrious performance. Stuck on his unfavored left side following Hasenhuttl’s ill advised decision to drop Bertrand, the Portuguese defender stuck diligently to his task and kept Bournemouth’s attacks down his flank to a minimum during an open first half.

Once Bertrand was introduced after the break, Cedric returned to his natural position at right back and was able to offer a lot more going forward. Although he has occasionally received criticism for his defensive attributes, he was instrumental in retaining and winning back possession with some perfectly timed tackles. There was a review from VAR with regards to whether Cedric fouled Josh King but the evidence was not compelling enough to overturn Chris Kavanagh’s decision not to award a penalty.

Cedric has needed to be patient for his chance following Valery’s ascension to the first team but on his current form, it would seem foolhardy to tinker with the right side further. With Bertrand pressing his case for the left back role after a confident second half showing, Saints fans will hope for a more settled back line for the coming fixtures against Portsmouth and Tottenham.