West Brom and Southampton played out a drab draw at the Hawthorns last night, where the biggest talking point was the unexpected reintroduction of Saido Berahino.
The striker had threatened to not play for the West Midlands club again, after his request to move to Tottenham Hotspur was declined.
He came on as a second-half substitute for former Saints player Rickie Lambert and was given a mixed response by the home faithful, however, he could not do anything to prevent the stalemate. At the other end, Jay Rodriguez had the best chance for the visitors, but he headed wide from close range in the second-half.
West Brom
Boaz Myhill – 6: Kept his second clean sheet in two games, but was rarely troubled.
Craig Dawson – 6: Struggled to keep Dusan Tadic quiet, and rarely supported in West Brom’s attack. Had a good chance from a corner but headed over.
Gareth McAuley – 6.5: Typically solid in defence and kept Graziano Pelle under wraps. Starting to cement his place in the first XI with his consistency.
Jonny Evans – 7: On debut, the Irishman played well without too much to deal with. Judgement on this signing will come against tougher opposition.
Chris Brunt – 5.5: Being played out of position is tough enough without Tadic running at you – he fought admirably but will look forward to a move into more creative areas.
Calum McManaman – 5: Provided the most controversial piece of play as he dived over the outstretched leg of Matt Targett in the area. It was not given as a penalty and after the game Tony Pulis said he was going to have words with the player.
Darren Fletcher – 6: Shut the opposition midfield down well, played with experience and control.
Claudio Yacob – 6.5: Not overawed by the match-up with Victor Wanyama and fought well in the middle of the pitch.
Craig Gardener – 5.5: Struggled to provide service to the frontmen, but gave good cover to his defence. Would have had more influence in a central position.
Rickie Lambert – 4: Incredibly ineffective against his former club. Subbed after 55 minutes of an anonymous performance.
Solomon Rondon – 4.5: After a promising start to his West Brom career, he was shut down by the Saints backline.
Substitutes
Saido Berahino – 6.5: After his saga, the English striker came on and provided some threat for the hosts. But West Brom only had one shot on target in the whole game, which tells its own story.
James McClean – 5.5: Could not cause Matt Targett any problems after he was introduced with half an hour to go.
Jonas Olsson – N/A: Came on too late to provide any impact.
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Southampton
Maarten Stekelenburg – 6: Was a spectator for much of the game, but nearly fumbled the ball into his own net.
Cedric Soares – 6: He is starting to find his feet in the Premier League and provided some added impetus going forward.
Virgil Van Dijk – 7: Impressed on debut and already looks to have settled well. A much needed upgrade on Maya Yoshida.
Jose Fonte – 6.5: One of the most consistent performers for Southampton, he kept both strikers under control for the majority of the outing.
Matt Targett – 6: Was lucky not to have conceded a penalty when McManaman jumped over his challenge in the first half.
Victor Wanyama – 6.5: Defensively, he controlled the midfield putting all transfer talk behind him with a professional performance.
Steven Davis – 5.5: Solid if not unspectacular, struggled to provide any creative threat.
James Ward-Prowse – 5: Hacked at a late chance to win the game. He will surely be ruing that moment all week.
Jay Rodriguez – 6: Spurned the best chance of the game in the first-half, but is starting to resemble the player he was before his lengthy lay-off.
Dusan Tadic – 7.5: Was the best player on the pitch, constantly putting dangerous crosses into the box. However, his strikers could not convert.
Graziano Pelle – 5: It was a quiet day for every striker on the pitch and the Italian found it hard to operate against two canny West Brom central-defenders.
Substitutes
Sadio Mane – 6: Came back from international duty late and lacked full match fitness. Could do little to impact the game.
Maya Yoshida – 5.5: Solidified the back-line late on, but looks to have been demoted in the defensive pecking order.
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