Southampton ended their 12-game streak without a win in the Premier League this afternoon as they clinched a 3-2 win against West Brom away from home.
Saints started the afternoon in 18th and knew that only a win would do against one of their closest rivals at the bottom of the table. The victory was duly delivered by Mauricio Pellegrino’s men, though, and Saints now find themselves in 14th place following only their second away win in the Premier League this season.
Ahmed Hegazi opened the scoring early on for West Brom having peeled away from the Southampton defence at a corner. However, Mario Lemina levelled things later on in the half with a thunderous strike beyond Ben Foster. Shortly after the leveller, Saints were in front as Jack Stephens produced a clever header from a corner, helping the visitors to a 2-1 lead at the interval.
James Ward-Prowse increased Saints’ advantage with a low-driven free-kick to the left of Ben Foster and this proved to be enough on the day, despite Salomon Rondon’s header in the 72nd minute.
It was a crucial, crucial win for Saints. Here are our player ratings.
Alex McCarthy - 7
McCarthy was pretty faultless. He didn’t have much to deal with but made a smart save from a free-kick in the second-half.
Cedric Soares - 7
Cedric played well. He got up and down the right flank tirelessly and although his final ball was often lacking, he found space well.
Jack Stephens - 7
At fault for the first goal as he lost Hegazi. However, he soon made amends with a good header to equalise. He’s better at attacking set-pieces than defending them, it seems…
Wesley Hoedt - 7
Hoedt’s long passing is a sight to behold at times. He was beaten too easily by Rondon for the second goal but was, on the whole, solid.
Ryan Bertrand - 7
Bertrand defended well and pushed up the left flank as often as he could. He put some good low balls in and was a constant threat.
Oriol Romeu - 7
Romeu’s passing in the first 30 minutes was pretty dreadful but he grew as the game went on. He held his position well as Mario Lemina drifted from side to side and provided a strong base to build from in deeper areas.
Mario Lemina - 10
Unreal. He was sublime. His goal was breathtaking and his footwork was incredible.
It’s amazing what happens when you play your best player, Pellegrino…
James Ward-Prowse - 9
Ward-Prowse had an excellent match. His free-kick capped what was a complete performance. He worked tirelessly, pressed relentlessly and used the ball well.
He’s grown in recent weeks and is in the form of his life. Let’s hope he can carry this on for the rest of the season as he could well be a key player in Saints’ survival bid.
Dusan Tadic - 7
Tadic had a good game. He, too, is in relatively decent form and he looked to create when he received the ball. He could have done better with a chance in the second-half but it was a generally pleasing display from the Serbian.
Sofiane Boufal - 7
Boufal’s technical ability and close control never ceases to impress. He wasn’t particularly influential but grew in confidence as the game went on. He always aimed to create and worked hard throughout.
Guido Carrillo - 7
Carrillo spurned a couple of good chances but what was encouraging was his ability to find dangerous positions in and around the box. He came desperately close after connecting with a low cross and was almost provided with a tap-in from Tadic’s pass across goal in the second-half. An encouraging performance from the record signing.
Substitutes
Shane Long – 5: Came on and worked typically hard but didn’t do anything of note.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – N/A: Wasn’t on for long enough to impact the game. He probably should have started but we can have no complaints.
Nathan Redmond – N/A – He too wasn’t on for long enough to give a fair grade. It was nice to see him reintegrated into the matchday squad, though.