Bournemouth v Southampton: Premier League – live
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Bournemouth Leads Southampton 3-0 At Halftime
Southampton started strong in the first 15 minutes, even though they couldn’t manage to create any scoring chances. However, I have to say that the last 30 minutes were some of the poorest football I've seen in the Premier League in a long time.
45 minutes: Tavernier receives a yellow card for deliberately kicking the ball away.
Three minutes of stoppage time have been announced. Southampton's players are in desperate need of a break before halftime.
44 minutes in: Southampton is having a tough time clearing the ball. They haven’t established any clear strategy as they try to move the ball into the midfield, and without a striker on the field, they lack a focal point in their attack.
Kudos to Bournemouth for their effective pressing, but Downes and Ugochukwu seem to be entirely uninvolved for the Saints, frequently getting outplayed and having the ball taken from them.
42 minutes in: Southampton has made six touches in Bournemouth's attacking zone but hasn’t managed a single shot on goal.
41 minutes in: The home crowd starts chanting, "Fraser, what’s the score? Fraser, Fraser, what’s the score?"
Bournemouth fans are having a great time. Russell Martin watches with a gloomy expression as the home crowd chants, “Sacked in the morning,” followed by, “We want you to stay.”
Bournemouth Defeats Southampton 3-0
What a fantastic third goal for the home team! Semenyo skillfully weaves around Ugochukwu, who has been quite lackluster this evening. He spots some space on the right side of the goal and strikes it fiercely into the bottom corner. Ramsdale didn't stand a chance! Semenyo is incredibly adept with both feet, making him extremely difficult to defend against.
36 min: I hate to mention it, but Southampton seems to lack experience; there aren't many strong leaders on the field. Keep in mind that it’s a pretty young team, and while being older isn’t a requirement for wisdom (you can teach it), it definitely can make a difference.
Bournemouth Beats Southampton 2-0: Outtara Scores!
Bournemouth, clearly the stronger side at this point, charges down the right flank. Semenyo leaves Taylor spinning at the sideline before passing the ball back to Cook, who is positioned just outside the penalty area. The former Leeds player takes a shot through a mass of players. While it was a relatively weak effort, it deflects off Outtara's heel, unintentionally sending the ball into the corner of the net past Ramsdale. The goalkeeper managed to get a hand on it but couldn't prevent the goal. It’s a tough break to concede, though the defense was poor leading up to the shot.
30 min: Nearly a year ago, I noticed Russell Martin enthusiastically chatting with what I assume was his son as he was leaving Shoreham Academy, a nearby school, just as I showed up to participate in some truly terrible five-a-side soccer. Seriously, take a break, Russ.
28 minutes in: Mateus Fernandes, who hasn’t made much of an impact for Southampton playing in the No. 10 spot, receives a yellow card for a late tackle on Senesi. The game pauses for a drinks break, and Russell Martin urgently coaches his players on the sidelines. It's worth noting that Iraola is not allowed on the touchline due to his ban.
26 minutes in: Southampton is having a tough time getting the ball out from their own half, which is typical for them, and they end up losing possession. Tavernier seizes the opportunity, skillfully maneuvers towards the goal, and unleashes a powerful shot aimed at the top corner. Ramsdale anticipates the shot perfectly and makes an excellent save.
In the 23rd minute, Lewis Cook from Bournemouth brings down his old teammate Fraser, much to the excitement of the fans in the stands.
In the 21st minute, Bournemouth launched another attack, with Ouattara sending a low cross from the left into the six-yard area of Southampton. Taylor, playing left back, rushed in to clear it away, stopping what would have been a sure goal. Both Evanilson and Semenyo were nearby, ready to capitalize on any mistake.
19 minutes: That's a summary of Southampton's season to date. They've started strong in the first 15 minutes, but a moment of inattention has led to their downfall.
Bournemouth Edges Southampton 1-0 Thanks To Evanilson
The Brazilian scored his debut goal for Bournemouth. The home team earned a free-kick in Southampton's territory, and Tavernier executed it swiftly, surprising the Saints' defense. Evanilson made a clever run past Harwood-Bellis and skillfully connected with Tavernier's deft pass, striking the ball first time and sending it past Ramsdale. It was somewhat of a toe-poke volley, but it was still expertly placed into the corner of the net.
In the 13th minute, Southampton sends a long ball forward, nearly creating a scoring opportunity for the away team! Dibling manages to grab hold of a hopeful pass and skillfully keeps control of the bouncing ball. The young player gets the ball past Senesi but is then taken down. However, referee Michael Oliver decides not to call a foul! That seems a bit unfair!
At the 11-minute mark, Ryan Christie from Bournemouth and Flynn Downes from Southampton collide near the edge of the opposing team's penalty area. Both players appear to be limping, but it seems they will likely be able to keep playing.
9 min: “Greetings from Pittsburgh!” writes Eric Peterson. “I'm intrigued by the Netherlands potentially being placed in the same group as the USA at the 2026 World Cup. This would create a matchup between two coaches—Koeman and Pochettino—who led Southampton during its best years in the Premier League last decade. FYI, Adam Lallana, the captain from that time, was just 10 months old when Tyler Dibling was born. That assist-goal pairing from last week could be some sort of record, don’t you think?”
That could be an interesting one for the stats, Eric. I have a feeling there are many goals where the age gap between the player who assisted and the one who scored is much larger.
7 minutes: The Saints launch another strong counterattack, culminating in Fraser unleashing a powerful shot from distance. Kepa reacts and dives to his right, just managing to get a hand on it. He fails to hold onto the ball, but unfortunately for Southampton, no players are nearby to take advantage of the loose rebound. Cornet seemed a bit slow to react; a more instinctive striker might have capitalized on the chance.
In the fourth minute, Ugochukwu makes a strong run down the left side for Southampton, sending a tricky cross back from the goal line toward the edge of the penalty area. Cornet is waiting there and unleashes a powerful shot at Kepa, but it narrowly misses the target! Replay shows that Senesi made an important deflection with his head, although it's unclear how much he was aware of it. Southampton have clearly come out looking stronger.
In just 2 minutes into the game, Ryan Fraser, who is positioned on the left wing for Southampton, makes his first move but is met with loud boos from the fans. This marks the Scottish player’s first time back at this stadium since he departed Bournemouth in 2020 to join Newcastle.
Beep! Let's get started!
The teams have taken to the field! Bournemouth is sporting their classic black and red striped home kit, while Southampton is in a bright, eye-catching away uniform.
Just a quick reminder that Bournemouth's manager, Andoni Iraola, will be unable to be on the sidelines this evening due to a suspension. He’ll be observing the match from the stands instead.
Tyler Dibling is a rising star at Southampton that everyone seems to be talking about. The 18-year-old winger stands out—not only for his skill but also for his unique style of wearing his socks lower than Jack Grealish. He showcased his talent with a well-executed goal in the 1-1 match against Ipswich, thanks to a great assist from Adam Lallana. He also earned a penalty during the loss to Manchester United. I can't wait to see how he performs tonight.
If we're talking about Manchester United, you should definitely check this out:
Graham Potter, the ex-manager of Brighton and Chelsea and a guest analyst for Sky Sports on Monday Night Football, hasn't done a great job of clarifying his stance on the ongoing England manager position, which is currently filled on an interim basis by Lee Carsley.
He is also questioned about whether he has held discussions with Manchester United.
I would advise being cautious with what you see in the media. It appears that I’m the only manager associated with both Stoke City and Napoli this week. I’ve had many discussions with various individuals, but I believe it's best to keep those discussions confidential.
Southampton has managed to secure only one point in their first five matches, even though they’ve controlled the ball for about 60% of the time during those games. However, there is a glimmer of hope for Saints supporters: historically, only two teams in the Premier League have been relegated while averaging over 50% possession — Wigan in the 2012-13 season with Bobby Martínez as coach, and Birmingham in the 2005-06 season under Steve Bruce.
This indicates that the issue facing Southampton isn't the system itself. However, it's still early in the season. This upcoming match is crucial for them and would have likely been pinpointed by Russell as a valuable opportunity for an away victory.
It's fair to say that Russell Martin's Southampton team tonight is remarkable. They don't have any strikers in the starting lineup, but there are five on the bench, along with only one defender. Will the short but energetic Ryan Fraser, who stands at 5ft 4in, take charge up front? Or will it be Maxwel Cornet, currently on loan from West Ham, who hasn't played a Premier League match since January but is in the starting eleven tonight? Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsdale returns to face his old club, which is perhaps not as surprising.
Bournemouth have made some adjustments following their loss at Anfield, but their starting lineup is largely as anticipated. Adam Smith replaces Araujo in the team and will lead Bournemouth as captain this evening. The Englishman has been a dedicated player for the club over the years. On the other hand, Evanilson is still in search of his first goal for the Cherries.
AFC Bournemouth's lineup features Arrizabalaga, Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez, Cook, Christie, Semenyo, Ouattara, Tavernier, and Evanilson. On the bench are Travers, Huijsen, Brooks, Scott, Sinisterra, Kluivert, Araujo, Unal, and Aarons.
Southampton lineup: Ramsdale in goal; Sugawara, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, and Taylor in defense; with Downes, Ugochukwu, and Cornet in midfield; and Fernandes, Fraser, and Dibling leading the attack. Bench players include McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Aribo, Armstrong, Lallana, Stewart, Brereton, Archer, and Onuachu.
We're still in the early and exciting days of the 2024-25 season: after a handful of matches, there have been some moments of excitement and a few nervous exchanges. Right now, all we can say is that we're eager to see what unfolds. For Bournemouth and Southampton, there’s a lot to explore: Bournemouth is navigating the challenge of replacing one pricey striker (Dominic Solanke) with another (Evanilson), along with a new goalkeeper (Kepa). Meanwhile, Southampton seems to be testing the limits of how daring a team can be by consistently playing out from the back. While the Saints are still seen as the top contenders for relegation, they came very close to their first victory of the season against Ipswich recently—could this indicate a turning point for them?
While this matchup might not be a classic or particularly charming event, there’s definitely enough to keep us engaged. Just remember, it's not a derby when Bournemouth faces Southampton.