It was very much a game of two halves as Saints dominated the first and Bournemouth the second, but the home side held on.
Saints were brilliant in the first half and good money for their 2-0 half time lead and it could easily have been more. Dusan Tadic was calling the shots and Saints were carving Bournemouth apart with two very well worked goals from Steven Davis and Dusan Tadic.
But as Saints fans rubbed their hands at half time in anticipation of a goal feast, little did they know that the second half would swing in completely the opposite direction.
Perhaps it was the fact that Jose Fonte had to come off that changed Saints momentum a little bit, but as the second half wore on the Cherries got the ball and passed it around, at first Saints coped well and in truth they were not really damaging us, but they started to get their tails up and before we knew it we were fighting a rear guard action.
When Ronald Koeman brought on Romeu for Jordy Clasie with 20 minutes to go it initially looked a good decision, but it would have dire consequences when 6 minutes later Wanyama already walking a tightrope after having been booked in the first half received a second yellow, it was then truly backs to the wall.
Bournemouth now had their tails up and pushed forward and Saints looked a shadow of the side they were first half, however they were nothing if but resolute and dug in to keep their first clean sheet in six league games and if anything is to be taken from the second half performance it is this.
The truth is though if Bournemouth had had a decent striker it could have been different, but you can only play what is in front of you.
It felt like a defeat at the end of the game, such was the change in fortune, but it wasn't it was a victory and one that Saints had earned by showing that they could compete in all areas, both when completely on top and when being overun.
Ronald Koeman does have some thinking to do though, this is the 2nd home game in a row his side have been battered in the second half and unable to get and keep the ball to what could be deemed an acceptable level, the manager has to look at this and consider how he can stop it happening in future.
But it is a win and one that pushes Saints up to 7th place in the table which is a very acceptable place to be at this time of the season, unlike last year it has not been a lightening start, but it has been a steady and stable one with improvement all the time and we are well positioned to be abe to mount an assault on the top five in the coming months.
This game was not out finest of the season by a long chalk, but we should take some satisfaction in the fact that we were able to take the pressure and not concede.