It wasn't pretty to watch, but the truth was in this game only the result at the end of the game mattered and it was Saints who were triumphant at the end with Che Adams scoring the goal that took us out of the bottom 3.

Lets be honest this was never going to be a game that saw Saints suddenly click into gear and go into overdrive, Bournemouth had their heads up and were going to be full of confidence after an unbeaten run that had seen them soar up the table.

Ralph Hasenhuttl's team selection didn't win universal praise amongst the travelling support pre match, but it was a team to dig in and win the match and combined hard work with some attacking flair.

After a tense start with Bournemouth looking to get an early goal it was the visitors who silenced the home fans with a superb headed goal after a great cross from Romain Perraud.

That gave us confidence but it was still not going to be easy, however Saints were driven by the central midfield duo of James Ward Prowse & Ainsley Maitland-Niles working hard to nullify a lively Bournemouth midfield.

Strangely some Saints fans are giving JWP low marks for his performances of late, I am not one of them, most seem to be judging him on the position he was playing earlier this season and last, but with no Lavia his role has been changed, he now sits a lot deeper and has to win the ball more, that means he doesn't get the chance to get forward so often, such is his versatility, he can adapt to this position and he rarely lost a tackle or header and covered every blade of grass, but this is at the expense of him having freedom to play going forward, when Lavia returns so will the old Ward Prowse, but meanwhile he is doing a great job.

So was Maitland-Niles, he too is having to adapt to a role he hasn't usually played, but he is growing into it with every game.

At the back Duje Caleta-Car held the back line tight and played a big part in our first clean sheet of the season.

The only black mark of the day came on 64 minutes when bringing on Lyanco for Joe Aribo caused an outburst of abuse at Ralph Hasenhuttl from a small section of the away support, in truth this was a logical substitution in many respects, I respect the right of everyone to have an opinion, but I am sorry that was not the time to air it, the team was 1-0 up and battling hard, yet some seemed to ignore that and almost want their own side to be beaten to prove a point.

But the tactical changes worked as we had to revamp the back line due to an injury to Kyle Walker Peters and in truth it was seamless substitutions.

As the game dragged on Saints looked more comfortable, yes the Cherries were getting more of the ball but we seemed to be able to cope comfortably, late on Ralph again brought on fresh legs to see out the game and in the latter stages we looked more likely to score than the home side.

The only late blip came deep in injury time when Gavin Bazunu failed to gather cross and the ball had to be hacked clear, but apart from that Bazunu looked solid and deserved his clean sheet.

The final whistle saw Saints fans elated and those that weren't disappointed as it meant that the manager wouldn't be sacked this week and there were more than a few of them sadly, celebrated what was not a game that was a joy to watch, but was one in which we had seen a team roll up it's sleeves and play for the manager, those who say that Ralph has lost the dressing room had no evidence on this performance, every member of the team including the subs put in a shift.

Now we march on, it is not going to be an overnight fix, but it was a big step forward, the 3 points took us up to 14th, it also gave us a view of what could have been, if we had got just three more points in that 5 game winless streak, then we would sit 9th or 10th this morning, OK we don't, but it shows that we are not that far away from chasing a top 10 spot.

Hard to give a man of the match on this one everyone played a part, I won't be in the majority here, but I give it to James Ward Prowse who played a Captains game, he played in a deep position and sacrificed his only game for that of the greater good of the team, he put away his silky skills, rolled up his sleeves and grafted, he led by example and the others followed, that means his impact has lessened in the attacking sense, but he has put the team first and that is good.

Photo: Action Images

felly1 added 13:07 - Oct 20 Agree about Ward Prowse, I have to say he has been disappointing this season but last night he was all over the pitch doing the ugly stuff really well. In all honesty last night's game was like watching a Championship match. Two teams constantly misplacing passes and very little quality in the final third. Overall though I'm well happy. 14th place and at least we've got something to build on .

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Peterx added 13:38 - Oct 20 Good assessment and to me the subs were on time and the right ones, whereas on the weekend I thought they were late. With Lavia close to getting back and hopefully Tino not too far away and with AMN much improved I am getting back to my post Chelsea positivity. Some of our fans calling for RH to get sacked was embarrassing for me when we had a lead and have a history of losing them. In that situation surely it makes sense to try and get an ugly defensive win which was the sub he made. Also Lyanco seems to have an energising effect on the team with his positive attitude.

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ItchenNorth added 13:45 - Oct 20 Another performance that showed great fight and spirit in the squad. Those saying Ralph has lost the dressing room a few weeks back; well that isn't remotely true based on this and the West Ham performance. Real fight, real desire to see the games out and grab points. The substitutions were again spot on. In the final 10 minutes and with fresh legs and drive, we retained the ball well in tight situations to see out the game. MotM for me had to be Che Adams. He got the goal, yes, but his work ethic was outstanding. Finally, we know goals are hard to come by, but our defensive is so much stronger this year. And, we still have quality player to return. I'm not getting carried away with this game. It was hard fought, but hey, the spirit is there and that goes a long way.

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wibbersda added 14:02 - Oct 20 Caleta-Car made so many mistakes and looked like a rabbit in the headlights...Still not a Fan.
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KriSaint added 14:38 - Oct 20 I don't disagree that JWP did fight like a dog to help his team. Now the point against West Ham feel (even) better. I thought we saw some good performances in there vs Bournemouth. Jaleta-Car seemed calm, cool and collected and made sure Solanke didn't shine. Other mature performances from Bazunu, Perraud, a much better looking Ainsley M-N, KWP and Salisu and everybody ran themselves into the ground to protect that lead. Substitutes did well to help us keep the ball, Lyanco fought with his life for that clean sheet, and Che Adams was man of the match. Looks like the bleeding has stopped. At least till' the Arse game. COYS.

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landsdownsaint added 14:38 - Oct 20 I had too watch the game on prime &didn’t know what too think when Che obviously had the knock at the end of the game about something ? Maybe it was the fans booing when the lads & manager gave everything ?u could also see how important Moussa is for us off the pitch . A good assessment of JWP , he rarely gives the ball away . What we saw last night is where we are as a club , I also thought Caleta Carr was caught a few time but he looks up for a battle .

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Centurion added 14:40 - Oct 20 A good win which should help with confidence. I felt the team lacked confidence and were hesitant at times. A win is a great tonic. A winning mentality is hard won, easy to lose.
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Ifonly added 14:56 - Oct 20 I thought I was hallucinating when I saw a Saints centre forward head in a cross. I can't remember when that last happened but it certainly doesn't seem to happen much these days. The Bournemouth defence gave him the freedom of the penalty box to make it easy for him but I'm not complaining. Other than that, good spirit and lack of quality were the main points. Great to see us get 3 points and hopefully that will give us the confidence to play a bit of football.

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ElSanto added 15:05 - Oct 20 Landsdown, I think Che was annoyed at the end because Djenepo didn't play him in for the open goal at the end of the match. Gotta LOVE Ralphy. Just gets on with it. Really gunning for him to turn this around. It won't be easy, but I think he can do it.
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Farlow added 15:29 - Oct 20 A hard fought deserved victory.I honestly think Lyanco shouldget more game time. He,s the leader we need.
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AmericanSaint added 15:40 - Oct 20 Good fair assessment Nick. There were parts of the game that were aggravating as we made some simply bad passes which caused us heartache. The subs were spot on and did a good job releasing pressure. Again in the last 10 minutes we had some bad luck of a pass not going through, a wide shot or a good block by their defense so that we didnt get that crucial second goal. Everyone battle hard and I a good win overall. So a moment to breathe and now get ready for Arsenal. There could be some big selection issues if KWP is out. On to the next - COYR

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kingolaf added 16:00 - Oct 20 Performance didn’t really matter last night, it was all about the result. Really important 3 points. I would love to think we can kick on from here, but I can’t see another win this side of the World Cup.
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halftimeorange added 16:40 - Oct 20 We battled in a way not seen since the Chelsea game and took the initiative away from Bournemouth towards the final third of the game. Several big performances as others have said but, our passing was indifferent yet again and how Elyounoussi stays on the pitch is beyond me when Stuart Armstrong is on the bench. It should be obvious to everyone by now that Adam Armstrong isn't strong enough for this division. It's painful to see him easily knocked off the ball. That said, I thought Salisu had his best game for some time, Perraud and Caleta-Car look solid and Che Adams needs a partner up top, even though he was MoM by a country mile.

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underweststand added 16:41 - Oct 20 I thought Caleta-Car and Maitland-Niles acquitted themselves quite well considering both have had very limited game time so far. Bazunu kept a good clean sheet, and Perraud seemingly growing better every game and supplying a goal and 2 assists in just 6 starts. Not the most entertaining football match, but Che Adams getting the goal he has needed for the last month, and that was enough for a well-earned 3 points and a breathing space before the Arsenal game. With 4 games left until the World Cup pause, and we can hope that our "walking-wounded " will have a chance to recover fitness for the Boxing Day restart.

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landsdownsaint added 17:22 - Oct 20 EL Santo … you might be right , I must’ve wanted it too be becouse of the booing fans who are so well out of order
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felly1 added 17:53 - Oct 20 Where's the posters who only seem to post when we lose ? Love to see some of them come on here and say a few positive things and perhaps express their enjoyment in us winning and moving up the table. Nothing wrong with being fed up and criticising the manager when we lose but the same time you should have the good grace to note the positive things.
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YosemiteSaint added 18:25 - Oct 20 Initially I wasn't keen on the Lyanco substitution. But he gives us a second or two of patience when we're pressured because he can dribble. So as far as destroying and slowing B'mouth attacks I give him high marks. (Now that I think of it, why not use him regularly in more of a stopper/destroyer role, to relieve pressure on back four and to spring counterattacks more quickly?) I'm generally pleased with Adam Armstrong's play as well—now that I recognize that he's not our next Danny Ings, he's our next Shane Long! One thing needs to be said here though about our riding our luck a bit yesterday: B'mouth's finishing (if one can call it that) was some of the most laughable I think I've ever seen. They frequently let us off the hook all by themselves.

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saintmark1976 added 19:04 - Oct 20 Still here felly1 and still wanting Ralph out. Yesterday we beat Bournemouth who are odds on second favourite to be relegated, by one goal. Not exactly pulling up trees was it? I appreciate that Ralph’s supporters will feel relieved but that’s hardly a surprise given that even with this win his recent points tally is only 16 from the last 69 available. Still that’s the beauty of this site, we’ve all got our own opinions and in the main we show respect to each other when expressing them. Long May that continue.

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Block8 added 19:28 - Oct 20 A good three points well needed and welcome by everyone (or should be) Adams was immense for 90 minutes and if he could just find the edge he had in the Championship we would struggle to keep him. Maitland Niles improves with each game and when Lavia is back we will have a vey good midfield three, with Lavia sitting deep and JWP & AMN playing in front of him. It was pleasing to see one full back sitting if the other attacked & Ely & AA give us more defensive stability. Which we will definitely need Sunday. Will also need to avoid some of the very slack passing on display recently! COYR

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SanMarco added 20:12 - Oct 20 So Ralph has out-lasted Liz Truss!! We battled well and also defended pretty well but the passing was appalling. But - as others have rightly said - the 3 points was the most important thing. Let's hope we take some confidence into Sunday. We are due a home win!
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pwithers123 added 01:05 - Oct 21 Good to see positive comments. We have a brand new team - lots of young players - and every game is massive. We have just got to get behind them until they gradually get used to each other + get used to the pace as well as the systems need to learn to play. We are also missing three of the best new players - Livramento, Lavia and Bella-Kotchap. COYR. Gerrard did well didn't he........goes to show how tough it is to manage in this league - and he had plenty of investment ......and bought expensive experienced players.....he still could not hack it

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Farlow added 09:04 - Oct 21 Ithought Ellyonoussi was excellent
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onetowatch added 12:21 - Oct 21 Sorry Nick, how you can admire JWPs performance to Che is beyond belief. As for defending him, saying he's playing a different role, that should not explain such negativity in the way he plays. Look, I completely admire his work ethic and commitment, but, he has reverted to his default position of passing sideways or backwards, always putting the responsibility of getting the ball forward to someone else. An earlier post refers to the fact he doesn't give the ball away often (which he did in this game), but tbh, half of us on here could do that if all we did was pass back. All I'm asking of RH and fans, is look at the facts when he plays. It can't be that he is irreplaceable and stays on for 90 mins no matter how poorly he is playing, such as the WHU game last week....

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