Bournemouth and Southampton share spoils in south coast clash

Bournemouth and Southampton shared the spoils as an entertaining match on the south coast finished in a 1-1 draw.

Southampton looked the more purposeful side early on, with Dusan Tadic putting in a dangerous low cross that Nathan Ake cleared with Charlie Austin waiting to pounce.

With 12 minutes gone they were even closer as Virgil van Dijk leapt to meet a James Ward-Prowse corner but sent his header narrowly wide.

Bournemouth had been struggling to offer much threat but, with 21 minutes played, they were close to taking the lead.

The chance came when Adam Smith's strike from an angle was touched towards goal by Jermain Defoe, who was denied superbly by Saints keeper Fraser Forster.

Forster then parried an Ake header before Lewis Cook became the latest home player to try his luck, firing over the bar from long range.

And after 31 minutes the home side felt they should have had a penalty as Smith went down in the area under a challenge by Sofiane Boufal but was booked for diving by referee Jon Moss when he appeared to have been fouled.

A minute later, Southampton appealed for a penalty of their own when, after Asmir Begovic had parried an Austin header, Simon Francis seemed to block Tadic's strike with an arm.

Charlie Daniels blasted wide from distance before the hosts went ahead with 42 minutes gone as Wesley Hoedt lost possession and Andrew Surman set up Ryan Fraser to drill home.

But Southampton should have levelled soon afterwards when Ryan Bertrand found Boufal unmarked but he blazed over from inside the area.

The Saints brought on Nathan Redmond for Ward-Prowse at the break and forced Begovic into action when Boufal found space to fire in an angled shot from the left.

They came close again as Begovic denied Austin but, with 61 minutes played, the striker levelled when he turned home Redmond's low cross with a crisp first-time finish.

Bertrand then fired wide from an angle with Austin waiting at the far post as Southampton began to dominate.

But back came Bournemouth and, with the game entering its final quarter of an hour, Forster made another good save to keep out Josh King's strike, with the ball rebounding out for a goal-kick off Callum Wilson.

Both sides caused moments of alarm with dangerous late crosses, but neither was able to find a finishing touch as honours ended even.