Southampton beat Bournemouth in South Coast derby

Southampton were the victors of the first top flight meeting between the Saints and Bournemouth as Ronald Koeman's men ran out 2-0 winners against Eddie Howe's Cherries.

Saints were dominant in the first half: a half in which Koeman dubbed the best he's seen Southampton perform since taking charge at the club.

A superbly-worked team move was rounded off by a Steven Davis volley in Bournemouth's penalty area to make it 1-0 to the Saints. Graziano Pelle's deft flick allowed Saints left-back Ryan Bertrand charge down the wing to deliver a perfect, fizzing cross for Northern Ireland captain Davis to expertly dispatch beyond a despairing Adam Federici.

Pelle then doubled Saints' lead within five minutes of the opener as he towered over Bournemouth's Sylvain Distin to head the ball home from an impressive Dusan Tadic cross down the left flank.

Despite the positive first half for the Saints, the Cherries dominated proceedings in the second stanza and had plenty of possession while looking dangerous in the final third. However, their efforts mustered just two shots on goal throughout the 90 minutes which left Southampton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg with little to do despite seeing a flimsy Saints backline continually buckle under Bournemouth pressure.

While it was a solid yet fairly stressful win for Southampton, there is one sour note as Kenyan midfield powerhouse Victor Wanyama was sent off for two yellow cards. Big Vic will now miss Saints' visit to Sunderland this weekend.

This result leaves Bournemouth just one point above the relegation zone while Saints are now seven games unbeaten in all competitions.