Southampton
Fraser Forster – 6/10
Made a number of good saves throughout, but could have done better to parry Michail Antonio’s effort leading to West Ham’s first goal. A big presence in the area from set pieces.
Cedric Soares – 7/10
Got up and down the touchline well all afternoon, making some excellent attacking runs which caused Aaron Cresswell trouble. May have done better with his final ball in the attacking third.
Jack Stephens – 7.5/10
Solid in the place of absentee Virgil Van Dijk and continued to show why he has the ability to lead Southampton’s defence in the future. Calm and composed at the back, Stephens made few errors and distributed well.
Maya Yoshida – 7/10
Partnered Stephens well in what is a make-shift Saints centre half duo, and ultimately got forward to win the penalty in the last seconds which handed Mauricio Pellegrino’s side the three points.
Ryan Bertrand – 7.5/10
Continuing to stake his (very well earned) claim as England’s number one left-back, Bertrand looked untested throughout by a lacklustre Andre Ayew. Improved as the game went on.
Oriel Romeu – 7/10
Solid as ever in the middle of the park, Romeu battled hard against a combative Hammers midfield and was strong in the tackle throughout.
Mario Lemina – 6.5/10
A solid debut for the new kid on the block, Lemina looked at ease on the ball in the middle, but was unfortunate to go off injured twenty minutes into the second half courtesy of a poor Mark Noble challenge.
Dusan Tadic – 8/10
Vibrant all afternoon, the West Ham defence were unable to cope with Tadic’s movement across the front line, especially down the right. Made a total of four key passes and slotted home (just) the penalty for Southampton’s second.
Steven Davis – 6.5/10
Neat and tidy as usual, Davis had an excellent first half, however his effectiveness dwindled as the game went on. Looked for comfortable when given freedom to attack.
Nathan Redmond – 7/10
Came close to scoring on multiple occasions but was unable to find the net. Was energetic down the flank throughout.
Manolo Gabbiadini – 8/10
Typically fine finish from the Italian for the opening goal, and troubled West Ham’s centre halves with his movement for the 80 minutes he remained on the pitch. Expect Gabbiadini to score plenty this year.
Substitutes
James Ward Prowse (for Lemina, 65) – 6.5/10
Shane Long (for Davis, 80) – 6/10
Charlie Austin (for Gabbiadini, 80) – 8/10
