Southampton progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon as they defeated Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage.
The win puts an end to Saints’ treacherous run of games without a victory and the supporters and team alike will hope that the club can now push on and put their awful opening chunk of the season behind them.
Mauricio Pellegrino fielded a similar team to the one that was put to the sword by Crystal Palace in midweek. Jan Bednarek came in for the injured Jeremy Pied at right-back, though, while Steven Davis was also drafted in to replace Dusan Tadic.
It was a game of genuinely poor quality, with chances being spurned and passes being misplaced throughout. The encounter was not easy on the eye but Saints came out on top after James Ward-Prowse capitalised on a mix-up in the box between a handful of Fulham players in the first-half.
Saints were poor on the day, but Fulham were worse. That was the tale of the afternoon for both sides.
Here are our Southampton player ratings.
Alex McCarthy - 6
Had little to do. Although Fulham dominated in the second-half, they rarely tested Saints’ goal.
Jan Bednarek - 6
When the teams lined up and Bednarek made his way over to right-back, I feared for the worst. However, he surpassed my expectations and was reasonable. He made some good challenges and was good in the air, but also demonstrated inexperience through some rash tackles and positional indiscipline.
Jack Stephens - 6
Defended reasonably well but absolutely should have scored. He had a free header from only a couple of yards out and somehow managed to hit the bar.
Maya Yoshida - 6
Yoshida, like Stephens, was relatively comfortable throughout. Made a good block to deny Piazon.
Ryan Bertrand - 7
Bertrand was solid enough. He got forward when he could and was sound defensively. Produced some good passes, especially in the first-half.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 8
The best player on the pitch. He ran the show. So, obviously, Pellegrino took him off – genius. Hojbjerg is having a really good season and is beginning to show why he was held in such high esteem at Bayern Munich.
Oriol Romeu - 5
Romeu had a really poor first-half. He was sloppy on the ball and didn’t quite seem himself. He improved as the game went on but he underwhelmed.
James Ward-Prowse - 7
Showed good instincts to net the decisive goal. He worked hard and had a good game.
Steven Davis - 5
Like Romeu, he had a really underwhelming first-half. He improved in the second-half but seemed uncomfortable with the role Pellegrino was asking him to play.
Sofiane Boufal - 7
He gave the ball away a few times down to poor decision-making but he was quite clearly the best attacking player for Saints. He picked up the ball and aimed to cause problems and he contributed with some beautifully-executed moments of flair. Boufal’s final ball is still lacking but he remains hugely exciting.
Shane Long - 6
Worked hard but did little of any real note. Had a goal ruled out as offside.
Substitutes
Nathan Redmond – 5 – Came on and did little right. He’s low on confidence but simply isn’t delivering at the moment. It’s a mystery as to why Boufal was withdrawn for him.
Mario Lemina – 5 – Came on with only 15 minutes to impress and didn’t really have a great deal of influence on the game. Hojbjerg wasn’t the man who should have made way for Lemina.
Manolo Gabbiadini – N/A – I can’t give Gabbiadini a rating. Why? Because yet again, he was brought on with about five minutes to go. Pellegrino’s management of Gabbiadini, one of the best players in the squad, has been diabolical. He had a good chance to net but needed more time to get into the game.