Southampton 1 Sunderland 1 : Rodriguez saves a point for the Saints after Jermain Defoe penalty looked to have won it for Sunderland
All square as Southampton and Sunderland draw 1-1 as both sides still in search for first league win
JAY RODRIGUEZ saved a point for Southampton as his shot from 20 yards went under young keeper Jordan Pickford.
The young keeper played out of his skin to keep Southampton at bay and when Jermain Defoe scored a penalty with 11 minutes to go it looked like Sunderland had snatched the 3 points.
Southampton rallied and could have won the game as Sunderland were rocking after sub Rodriguez's equaliser on the 84th minute.
The first half wasn't the best you will this season as both sides struggled to dominate and a draw was a fair result.
FACTS, STATS, GOALS AND LOLS
- Southampton midfielder Nathan Redmond was booked cheaply for dissent against Sunderland. It should have earned him a rocket from new boss Claude Puel. There are new rules this season to clamp down on such verbals.
- New England boss Sam Allarydyce would have been limited on who to look at as Southampton took on Sunderland. Less than a third of the players who started the fixture qualified to don a Three Lions shirt.
- One of those Englishman, though, Jermain Defoe just might still be worth a call up as he made and scored the opener. And Saints sub Jay Rodrguez?
- Jordan Pickford, Sunderland’s England under-21 stopper, gave Black Cats boss Davis Moyes reasons to keep faith with him in place of the injured Vito Mannone - with talk of national No.1 Joe Hart coming in on loan.
- Charlie Austin had plenty to prove as he made his first Premier League start of the season for Southampton. The ex-QPR striker had been limited to just six league appearances since a scoring debut against Manchester United in January.
- Steven Pienaar, making his Sunderland league debut, was desperate to impress Moyes, his Everton boss who rescued the South African following his release from Goodison at the end of last season.
- Southampton’s brass band provided surprising pre-match entertainment pitchside with a rendition of Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk. Can’t imagine the Grimethorpe Colliery Band doing that one.
- You have to feel for the Sunderland fans making the 640-mile round-trip away from their families on Bank Holiday.
- Stifling heat indoors in the rooms at St Mary’s led someone to request a search for a fan in one of them. One wag remarked: ‘Try outside pitchside – there’s about 30,000 of them!”Sunderland went in knowing they had not won in the Prem for 16 matches in August , going back five season
- Jay Rodriguez's equalizer was his first goal in two years will England come calling again?
BIG PICTURE
DREAM TEAM RATINGS
Southampton: Forster 5 , Cedric 6 , Fonte, Van Dijk 7 , Targett, Romeu 7, Hojbjerg 6 (Ward-Prowse 6, 82), Davis 6, Tadic 6 (Long 5, 67), Redmond 7, Austin 5 (Rodriguez 7, 74)
Not used: Bertrand, Clasie, Yoshida, McCarthy
Goals: Rodriguez, 85
Booked: Redmond, 29, Davis 48,
Sunderland: Pickford, Manquillo 6, Kone 6, Djilobodji 7 , Van Aanholt 6, Rodwell 6, Januzaj 7, Pienaar 6 (Lens 6, 67), Gooch 6 (Love 6, 77), Borini 6 (Watmore 6, 64), (Lens 67), Defoe 7
Not used: Asoro, Khazri, McNair, Stryiek
Goals: Defoe 79
Booked: Pienaar 65, Rodwell 91
STAR MAN: Papy Djilobodji, 7