SOUTHAMPTON, England (Reuters) – A goal from Marcus Tavernier secured Bournemouth a 1-0 win over Southampton and pile on more misery on interim boss Ruben Selles, whose side remain rock bottom in the Premier League.
Gary O’Neil’s squad leapfrogged West Ham United into 14th place with 36 points from 33 games, seven points clear of the drop zone.
Southampton, who have won just six times this season and played for most of the night like a team destined for relegation, are six points adrift of the safety zone with only five games remaining.
Bournemouth dominated possession and were finally rewarded for their hard work in the 50th minute when Tavernier worked around a pair of Saints defenders before threading the ball, which took a slight deflection, into the far corner.
Southampton thought they had levelled in the 90th minute but Che Adams’ goal was ruled out for being offside. Bournemouth had a goal from Matias Vina waved off in the 18th minute as offside.
The torrential downpour at Southampton’s Saint Mary’s Stadium meant the players had to contend with a slippery pitch and at times they struggled to stay on their feet.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
