Neither Southampton or Sunderland were able to record their first win of 2016-17, with a goal for either side seeing the spoils shared in a 1-1 stalemate last night.
The Black Cats’ ageless wonder Jermain Defoe opened the scoring from the spot, earning a penalty as result of a foul from José Fonte inside the area. Jay Rodriguez got a late equaliser for the home team though, with his first league goal since early 2014.
The draw sees both teams without a win this season and Saints manager Claude Puel under a little pressure after a disappointing start to his tenure.
Southampton
Fraser Forster – 6: Not at fault for the goal and had very little else to do.
Matt Targett – 7: Staking his claim on the left-back position in place of Ryan Bertrand. Offered a lot in attack and provided some smart deliveries.
Virgil van Dijk – 7: Cool, calm and collected as always at the back.
José Fonte – 6.5: Good defensive work, but was let down by a wayward leg that gave away the penalty.
Cédric Soares – 7: Offered great attacking options in the first-half but was far quieter in the latter stages.
Oriol Romeu – 6: Stifled the Black Cats midfield and kept things ticking for his team.
Steven Davis – 6.5: Involved in several promising pieces of play, but was not able to create anything telling.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – 6.5: Another solid display from the Dane in both defence and attack.
Dusan Tadic – 6.5: Dangerous in his time on the park, but could not connect with Austin successfully.
Nathan Redmond – 6.5: Enjoyed his free role and caused the Sunderland backline trouble with his movement.
Charlie Austin – 6: Looked dangerous with his runs, but his touch was lacking in just his third Saints start. Caught offside far too often.
Substitutes
Shane Long – 6.5: Added a different dimension to the Southampton attack with his pace and work rate. Substituted on for Tadic in the 67th minute.
Jay Rodriguez – 7: Showed good attacking instincts and earned his side a point. Replaced Austin in the 74th minute.
James Ward-Prowse – N/A: Only played the last few minutes of the match.
Sunderland
Jordan Pickford – 6: A good performance from the 22-year-old custodian was let down by an error that allowed the Southampton equaliser.
Patrick van Aanholt – 6.5: A solid defensive performance, but no real memorable impact.
Papy Djilobodji – 6.5: His positioning and pressure left much to be desired, yet still made several key actions.
Lamine Koné – 5.5: Completely at odds with his defensive partner and missed a golden opportunity to put his side in front early from a set play.
Javier Manquillo – 7: A good debut for the Spanish loanee. Showed some smart touches but occasionally lacked precision with his final ball.
Jack Rodwell – 6: Did not have much impact on the game, but seemed to always be where he was needed.
Adnan Januzaj – 7: Showed off some characteristically terrific dribbling to nearly breach the Saints’ defence on a few occasions.
Lynden Gooch – 5: A passenger for most of the match and was wayward with much of his passing.
Steven Pienaar – 6.5: Looks a good bit of business for David Moyes. Worked through a lot of defensive pressure and looked one of few able to connect with dangerous passes.
Fabio Borini – 5.5: Lots of movement, not a lot of impact on the ball. Came off with a groin complaint after an awkward free-kick attempt.
Jermaine Defoe – 7.5: Always offered something for the Black Cats even when the delivery was not there. Deserving of his goal.
Substitutes
Duncan Watmore – 6: Did not have much to do after coming on but worked hard and looked promising. Took the place of Borini in the 64th minute.
Jeremain Lens – 6: Put in a few decent passes to Defoe but otherwise had little impact. Substituted on for Pienaar in the 67th minute.
Donald Love – 5.5: Not really present after entering the game.
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