First-half goal blitz sees Bournemouth beat sorry Saints in south coast derby
Bournemouth inflicted further misery on Southampton at Vitality Stadium, thanks in part to Antoine Semenyo, as they beat their local rivals 3-1.
Southampton were looking to stop the rot after a disappointing start to the season saw them go into their sixth match with just one point on the board.
Despite a promising start that saw them applying moderate pressure on the home side, it was Bournemouth who scored the breakthrough goal.
After a swiftly taken free-kick by Marcus Tavernier saw new boy Evanilson find the net, The Cherries confidently took control of the match, with a 3-0 lead by the end of the first half, thanks to goals by Semenyo and Lewis Cook.
A triple substitution at half-time saw Southampton come back fighting, and they clawed a goal back thanks to Taylor Harwood-Bellis, but they could not continue to mount pressure in any meaningful way.
Whatever confidence their consolatory goal initially gave them seemed to dwindle as quickly as it arrived, and the visitors failed to take anything away with them.
Talking point – Bleak beginning for Southampton
Despite an early attempt to apply pressure and the brief lift provided by their goal, Southampton looked absolutely toothless tonight. Their finish in the final third was generally poor, and even after efforts to regroup, their performance was scrappy.
With just one point from their opening six games, it already becomes hard to envisage how they can turn this around.
Player of the match
Antoine Semenyo: There was no competition in a great game for Semenyo, which saw him provide an assist on the second goal for his team, scoring the third, and looking as if he could inflict further damage throughout.
Player ratings
AFC BOURNEMOUTH: Kepa 6, M. Kerkez 6, M. Senesi 6, I. Zabarnyi 6, A. Smith (c) 6, R. Christie 6, L. Cook 7, M. Tavernier 8, D. Ouattara, A. Semenyo 8, Evanilson 7. Subs: J. Kluivert, A. Scott, E. Unal.
SOUTHAMPTON: A Ramsdale 5, C. Taylor 5, J. Bednarek 5, T. Harwood-Bellis (c) 6 , Y. Sugawara, L. Ugochukwu 5, F. Downes 6, R. Fraser 6, Mateus Fernandes 6, M. Cornet 6, T. Dibling 6 Subs: C. Archer 6, J. Aribo 6, B. Brereton 6, A. Lallana 6, Stewart 6.
Match highlights
17’ GOAL FOR BOURNEMOUTH! Evanilson makes something from almost nothing there as he latches onto a ball in from around the halfway line and taps it in.
33’ GOAL FOR BOURNEMOUTH! Bournemouth now lead 2-0, as Cook scores this time from a cross by Semenya who finds him in the middle of the box. He makes a clean, low strike past the defence to find the net.
39’ GOAL FOR BOURNEMOUTH! Semenyo again, what a night he’s having! That is a great ball in from the far corner of the box. Bournemouth take a 3-0 lead.
52’ GOAL FOR SOUTHAMPTON! Harwood-Bellis finds the net with a clinically executed header in the box, to claim his first Premier League goal. The score is 3-1 to Bournemouth, but can Southampton make a comeback?
