10-man Southampton holds off Bournemouth to win south-coast derby
Southampton - Southampton underlined its status as the south coast's pre-eminent force as in-form Graziano Pelle inspired a 2-0 win over local rival Bournemouth on Sunday.
Ronald Koeman's side struck twice in the space of five minutes late in the first half when Steven Davis finished off a fine move started by Pelle, who then notched his sixth league goal of the season to double the lead.
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Southampton played the last 12 minutes at St Mary's with 10 men after Victor Wanyama was sent off for a second booking, but they were able to hold on with few alarms.
While the local bragging rights were a welcome bonus, more significantly Southampton is up to seventh in the Premier League after extending its unbeaten run to seven matches in all competitions.
In contrast, Bournemouth's fourth defeat in its last five league games leaves Eddie Howe's side one place and one point above the relegation zone in its maiden top-flight campaign.
With Southampton's traditional enemy Portsmouth currently languishing in the fourth tier and Brighton in the Championship, Bournemouth's promotion had at last given the Saints a local rival to spar with.
Although no-one would place this fledgling rivalry in the same category as the fierce clashes between Manchester United and Manchester City or Arsenal and Tottenham, there was a noticeable buzz of anticipation in the streets around St Mary's, along with a highly visible police presence to keep the peace.
Inside the stadium, Bournemouth's raucous supporters were making the most of the occasion, but its out-classed team was unable to mark the first meeting of the clubs for four years with a first-ever win at Southampton.
Koeman's men were buoyant after a midweek victory over Aston Villa that took them into the League Cup quarter-finals, and it was little surprise they made the stronger start against a Bournemouth team whose last two league matches had ended in 5-1 thrashings against City and Spurs.