Jay Rodriguez brace sees Southampton past Bournemouth

Southampton came from behind to beat neighbours Bournemouth 2-1 and climb to seventh in the Premier League.

Bournemouth took the lead after just six minutes with their first attempt. Jack Wilshere’s cross should have been simple enough to deal with but Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was caught asleep at the back post and Nathan Ake nipped in front of him to score with a diving header.

Southampton responded soon after though when a feint took Ryan Bertrand past Adam Smith and into the penalty area where he fired past Artur Boruc from a tight angle. That too was their first shot.

After drawing level the visitors were the better team and took the lead when Jay Rodriguez poked home Steven Davis’s chipped effort that was otherwise going wide. And Rodriguez made sure of the three points four minutes from time, smashing a bouncing ball into the top corner while on the spin 20 yards out.

This was just Southampton's second away win of the league campaign, leaving Bournemouth three points and three places below them in tenth.

Southampton are the South Coast’s top team. This rivalry is one that will need time to grow, but today showed that despite the Cherries’ impressive start to the season Southampton are still the team to beat on the South Coast. Even with selling their best players year in, year out they have more quality and depth than Bournemouth and nowhere was that more clear than in the displays of Rodriguez and Maya Yoshida, two squad players, who were a cut above what the home side had to offer today.

Ryan Bertrand (Southampton): It was telling that a full-back was Southampton’s best attacking outlet, and goes some way to explaining why they’ve scored so few goals this season. With Sofiane Boufal often coming inside there was plenty of space for him to run into and run into it he did. His goal was brilliantly taken and he created a number of chances, most notably one Nathan Redmond should have scored. He also kept his one-time team quiet down the left and demonstrated why many think he’s England’s best left-back.

6’ – GOAL! Bournemouth have a corner and work it to Wilshere whose cross looks like it should be easy to deal with but Hojbjerg falls asleep and Ake sneaks in front of him to score with a diving header.

14’ – GOAL! A fantastic goal from Bertrand, who ghosts past Smith down the left and then fires past Boruc from a tight angle.

30’ – CHANCE! Bertrand gets forward again and his cross is right at the feet of Redmond on the penalty spot but he can only muster the faintest of connections.

48’ – GOAL! Davis plays a one-two with Boufal to get through on goal and while his chip over Boruc is going wide, Rodriguez gets there to poke in.

86’ – GOAL! What a goal! A bouncing ball drops to Rodriguez 20 yards out and on the turn he smashes it past Boruc into the top corner!

Bournemouth: Boruc 6, Francis 5, Cook 6, Ake 7, Daniels 6, Smith 5, Arter 6, Pugh 6, Wilshere 5, King 6, Wilson 5. Subs: Ibe 6, Fraser 6, Afobe 5.

Southampton: Forster 6, Cedric 6, Van Dijk 7, Yoshida 8, Bertrand 8, Reed 7, Clasie 6, Hojbjerg 5, Boufal 5, Rodriguez 7, Redmond 6. Subs: Davis 7, Long 6, Tadic 6.

This is Rodriguez’s first brace since March 2014.

Southampton have won five of the six meetings between these two this millennium.

Ake has scored three goals in his last six league games.

Saints netted as many times today as in their last seven league matches combined.