Southampton and West Ham United shared the spoils at St Mary's Stadium on Sunday as they played out a 0-0 draw in the Premier League.

Both sides struggled in front of goal, but it was the hosts who came closest to scoring in the second half when Rickie Lambert's header hit the post.

The stalemate has seen West Ham climb up to 10th place in the table, while Southampton rise to 11th.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the action between the two teams.

Match statistics:

Southampton:
Shots 15
On target 5
Possession 58%
Corners 10
Fouls 12

West Ham:
Shots 6
On target 1
Possession 42%
Corners 5
Fouls 12

Was the result fair?

It certainly was. All in all it was a poor, uninspiring afternoon of football between the two sides. Neither Southampton nor West Ham did enough to warrant the victory, but it will be the visitors who will be more pleased with their point than the hosts.

Southampton's performance

The Saints occasionally looked threatening in the final third, although an absence of quality in their passing often saw any attacks fizzle out. It was not for a lack of effort - the Saints worked hard to grind down West Ham - but this kind of display makes you think that it could be a tricky second season down on the South Coast.

West Ham's performance

Manager Sam Allardyce has gained a reputation down the years for unattractive, stodgy football and this was no different. They made it difficult for Southampton to get through them in the first half and continued to toil away doggedly after the break. One area of worry for the Hammers will be up front as Modibo Maiga never looked likely to score. The sooner Andy Carroll is back, the better.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Jussi Jaaskelainen: The veteran Finnish goalkeeper pulled off a string of fine saves to keep West Ham in the match. He may be 38 years old, but he is still capable of putting in superb performances between the sticks.

Biggest gaffe

Referee Andre Marriner got it badly wrong when he failed to send off Morgan Schneiderlin for his reckless tackle on Mohamed Diame in the first half. It was a nasty challenge from the Southampton midfielder, who did not even get a yellow card.

Referee performance

There were worse displays from referees over the weekend (ahem, Martin Atkinson), but Andre Marriner often looked like he was not in control of the match as he made some inconsistent decisions. The Schneiderlin incident aside, Marriner struggled to keep a lid on what was an occasionally feisty affair.

What next?

Southampton: Mauricio Pochettino's side return to league action on Saturday when they travel to Liverpool.

West Ham: The Hammers continue their league campaign at home to Everton on Saturday.