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Attendance: 31,778

Premier League

Apr 28, 2018 at 3pm UK

Southampton
2-1
Bournemouth

Tadic (25', 54')

FT(HT: 1-1)

King (45')

Dusan Tadic blasts Southampton to within one point of safety

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 28 April 2018

Dusan Tadic scores twice to earn Southampton a 2-1 win over Bournemouth, moving the Saints to within one point of Premier League safety.

Southampton have defeated south coast neighbours Bournemouth 2-1 at St Mary's Stadium to move to within one point of Premier League safety.

A first league win in charge of the club for Mark Hughes, at the sixth time of asking, was secured thanks to a couple of goals from Dusan Tadic.

The Saints, who had also gone nine matches without a home win prior to today, are now within touching distance of Swansea City ahead of the Swans' game in hand at home to Chelsea in Saturday's late kickoff.

Following a slow start to proceedings, the hosts created a couple of good openings in quick succession, neither of which they could take.

Tadic did well to pull the ball back for Nathan Redmond, who saw his shot blocked by Steve Cook, before Oriol Romeu was denied from the rebound.

Southampton were rewarded with an opening goal 25 minutes in when Tadic guided the ball into the bottom corner, with Mario Lemina picking out his teammate following a swift counter.

The visitors, who have now lost three in a row for the first time since Christmas, were having to hold on a little as Asmir Begovic kept out Charlie Austin and Lemina before the interval.

Having been on top throughout the first half, and had a penalty appeal turned down when Austin went down following a collision with Begovic, Southampton could easily have been pegged back when Nathan Ake's poked shot was helped away by Alex McCarthy.

The warning was not taken, as an unmarked Joshua King picked out the roof of the net to silence St Mary's after getting on the end of Simon Francis's flick-on.

McCarthy kept out Cook in the first of the second-half chances, shortly before Tadic doubled his personal tally for the afternoon by stealing the ball off Cook and firing into the bottom corner with the outside of his boot.

If not for a decent Begovic stop Shane Long would have put the Saints out of reach, while Ryan Bertrand was also guilty of wasting a good opportunity 20 minutes from time.

With mistakes beginning to creep into their game late on, the home side were grateful to goalkeeper McCarthy for earning them all three points.

The 28-year-old stuck out a leg to thwart Jermain Defoe in added time, before somehow clawing away Ryan Fraser's deflected effort from the last meaningful act of the match.

SOUTHAMPTON (4-4-2): McCarthy; Cedric, Yoshida, Hoedt, Bertrand; Tadic (Ward-Prowse 87'), Romeu, Lemina, Bednarek; Redmond (Long 59'), Austin (Hojbjerg 72')

BOURNEMOUTH (4-4-2): Begovic; Francis, S.Cook, Ake, Daniels; Mousset (Ibe 64'), Gosling (Surman 72'), L.Cook, Fraser; Wilson (Defoe 64'), King