Marcus Tavernier scored the only goal of the game to help Bournemouth produce one of the narrow football results of the weekend in the Premier League. With just five games left to play, the Saints are currently six points from safety at the bottom of the Premier League. Ruben Selles’ team did not play with any urgency until the very last moments of such an important game. The home crowd suffered heartache when Che Adams’ equalizer was overturned for a slight offside, and their expression at the end of the game showed they thought their team’s campaign was virtually over.
However, there was joy in the away section as Bournemouth’s chances of surviving were greatly increased by the outcome. Gary O’Neil’s team is now in 14th place, seven points clear of the relegation zone, and likely needs only one more victory to secure their place in the top flight for another year. Someone ought to have informed Selles and his players if this was a night that called for all of Southampton’s grit, character, and effort in an effort to breathe life into their desperate attempt to avoid relegation.
The first 15 minutes were cagey, with the hosts having the upper hand. Theo Walcott tested Neto with a low drive, while Adam Armstrong almost missed the post with an effort from a tight angle. However, the hosts rapidly lost control of the game due to nervousness on a rainy night on the south coast. With Alex McCarthy beginning in lieu of Gavin Bazunu, who was benched, the home crowd’s anxiety was apparent and only became louder with each slip and errant pass.
The Cherries striker then flashed a shot over the bar after the Saints’ defense allowed him to wander into their penalty area. The custodian, who was making his first Premier League start of the season, was relieved to see Matias Vina’s goal ruled out for a tight offside against Dominic Solanke. At halftime, the hosts suffered their first defeat when inspiring captain James Ward-Prowse was unable to play in the second half due to illness. Selles made an odd choice in response, switching to a five-player defense and substituting center-back Lyanco for the midfielder.
This did nothing but boost Bournemouth’s confidence as Tavernier glided in from the right flank before firing a shot past McCarthy and inside the far post to deal his opponents their second blow. After that, Jan Bednarek got away with an obvious handball, and Tavernier, whose 2023 season has been marred by injuries, departed the pitch with his head in his hands after injuring his hamstring. In the dying seconds, the Saints attempted to rally, and they believed they had equalized when Adams volleyed past Neto. However, VAR dispelled their hopes of hosting Premier League games at St. Mary’s again the following year by pointing out a slight offside against the striker.
After taking over for the fired Nathan Jones at Southampton in February, Ruben Selles made no secret of his desire to take over the position on a full-time basis, and he backed up his comments with a victory at Chelsea in his first game in charge. Any improvement under the former assistant manager, however, was only temporary, as the Saints’ lone victory under the Spaniard in the previous 11 games came at home against Leicester last month. As Southampton has failed to score a first-half goal in 24 of their 33 Premier League games this season, the most in the top division, Selles has struggled to address Southampton’s lack of focus in the opening periods of games.
“We’re going to go out and try to give every game a performance to attempt to win, and we’re going to do that all the way through. Although we only have five games left, we will fight to the bitter end because we are professionals,” Southampton boss Ruben Selles said. “I am aware that it will be challenging, and the table appears to be a challenging one, but we will attempt it. It was a depressing evening. We arrived with the desire to do well, but obviously, we didn’t. They went against us in some of the ways that they could. Even if the offside goal is off by a few centimeters, it is nevertheless off. The night was trying.”
For more football results, click here
