Southampton 1-2 Burnley: Premier League – Saints Player Ratings
By Erik Franzo
Manager, Goalkeeper and Defenders
Ralph Hasenhuttl, Manager – 7
Big change in selecting Vestergaard, handed Kyle Walker-Peters his first start and chose Boufal over Djenepo, but the final decision did not factor. Tried to change the formation by removing KWP and replacing him with the striker Obafemi, but nothing worked in their favor. Was disappointed in post-match press conference, and rightfully so, as the team suffered another home setback.
Alex McCarthy, Goalkeeper – 6
Probably should have done something with the first goal, but no one could have anticipated that ball through. His distribution was pretty good in the wind and he made the saves he should have. Soundly beaten on goal #2 and did well on a second half corner that was very difficult to manage.
Ryan Bertrand, Left-Back – 7
Did not do a lot wrong and continues to play with intent. Gave Boufal and Djenepo room to work and sat back a little more than usual. Struck a ball off the side netting and supplied Hojbjerg late in the game for the closest chance to equalize.
Jannik Vestergaard, Centre-Back – 7
It made sense to see the big Dane on a windy day against Chris Wood and Burnley. Had his iffy moments losing possession in defence, but contributed with some forward passes winning praise from his manager. Dealt with some strange bounces and was pretty clean in his second half passing. Maybe should have been tighter to Vydra on the goal, but considering the entire picture he gave a solid performance.
Jack Stephens, Centre-Back – 8
First contribution was a driving 40 yard run to earn a Saints’ corner. Second was a header flashed off the crossbar. Stephens defended pretty well in this game and was effective winning aerial challenges in the box. Was the closest man on the game-winning Burnley strike, but it would be unfair to fault him solely. He is a revelation at centre-back and deserves a ton of credit for his passion and running to the end in this one.
Kyle Walker-Peters, Right-Back – 6
Got his first taste of Southampton football and put in an hour long shift. A bit of decent footwork sticks out, and relatively little from Dwight McNeil should be credited to his positioning. One over-hit cross marks his attacking performance, but not a bad start.