Graziano Pelle inspired 10-man Southampton to a 2-0 win over Bournemouth at St Mary's this evening.
The Italian had a big role in the Saints' opener through Steven Davis on 31 minutes, before his fierce header fattened the lead 10 minutes before the break.
Cherries boss Eddie Howe yielded a number of impressive second-half displays from his troops and here, Sports Mole looks at who impressed for both sides on the South Coast.
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SOUTHAMPTON
Goal
Maarten Stekelenburg: Had precious little to do, saving just two shots but both were smart stops by the Dutchman. (6/10)
Defence
Cedric Soares: Up and down Southampton's right flank for most of the first half but his end product could have been a bit better. Defended well when Bournemouth grew in control of the clash. (6/10)
Jose Fonte: Subbed for Yoshida at half time in a decision which seemed to be forced rather than tactical. Did nothing wrong in the first half. (6/10)
Virgil van Dijk: The big Dutchman continues to impress following a second half in which he was tested severely, but came through it with flying colours. (7/10)
Ryan Bertrand: Just as adventurous as Soares on the opposite flank but, crucially, the ex-Chelsea man had a final ball and he set up Davis's opener with a brilliant cross. (6/10)
Midfield
Victor Wanyama: Slightly fortunate not to have been sent off following a rash first-half lunge on Smith, but did see the red card eventually when he picked up a silly second booking for a foul on Tomlin. (4/10)
Steven Davis: Maintained his fine goalscoring form with a clever run to deceive Distin, with a tidy finish to boot. Did not shirk his defensive duties after the break. (6/10)
Jordy Clasie: Will not enjoy much easier first-halves this season, but the Dutchman was put under much more pressure after the break and was hauled off on 70 minutes. (5/10)
Sadio Mane: The Senegalese winger was his usual, explosive self, but his end product let him down at times. Very seldom touched the ball after the break. (5/10)
Dusan Tadic: Looked much better this evening compared to previous recent outings and he delivered the cross which led to Pelle's header but, like so many of his attack-minded teammates, struggled in the second period. (6/10)
Attack
Graziano Pelle: Very classy from the big Italian, who had a huge role in the opener and then doubled the lead with a fine header. Much quieter in the second half, but he did more than enough prior to that to merit man of the match. (7/10)
Substitutes
Maya Yoshida: Had to be solid, with Bournemouth so dominant, and he was. (6/10)
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BOURNEMOUTH
Goal
Adam Federici: Could do very little about both goals and literally did not have anything else to do. (6/10)
Defence
Adam Smith: Replacing the injured Cook, Smith was tormented by the likes of Tadic, Mane and Bertrand on Bournemouth's right-hand side of defence. Also failed to add much to their attack in the second half. (4/10)
Simon Francis: Pulled off some excellent blocks - one of which denied Mane an almost certain goal - as Francis impressed again. (6/10)
Charlie Daniels: Sluggish at times in the first half as he struggled with Pelle's power, but he saw very little action from there on in as the visitors dominated. (5/10)
Sylvain Distin: Let Davis run off him for Southampton's brilliant first-half opener and then was he was far too easily shrugged off the ball when Pelle added a second. With such experience, these errors should not happen. (3/10)
Midfield
Dan Gosling: One of the few players who tried to make things happen for Bournemouth in the first half, though he failed more often than not. C for effort. (6/10)
Andrew Surman: Relatively wasteful in possession throughout as the Saints regularly capitalised on his loose passing. (5/10)
Marc Pugh: Endured an anonymous first-half display, before being replaced by Stanislas at the break. (4/10)
Matt Ritchie: Grew into the game brilliantly and went close with one or two hopeful efforts in the second half. (5/10)
Harry Arter: His Premier League debut passed him by somewhat as he struggled to exert an influence in the first half, but he was much better in the second period as he caused the hosts major problems with his direct running. (7/10)
Attack
Glenn Murray: Isolated as the Cherries' spearhead in both halves, before being hauled off at the break for King. A no-show from the ex-Crystal Palace marksman today. (4/10)
Substitutes
Joshua King: Replaced Murray but he did not directly have much more of an influence than his predecessor. (5/10)
Junior Stanislas: The former West Ham United man was everywhere in the second half as his arrival surged Bournemouth, though his delivery from set pieces might have been better. (6/10)
Lee Tomlin: Strengthened his case for a starting berth next time with a fine cameo, and forced Stekelenburg into a decent save. (6/10)
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