The Saints must have felt like God had deserted them on Thursday night as Inter’s goal led a charmed life at the San Siro.
Antonio Candreva’s right-footed rocket condemned Southampton to their first defeat in the Europa League this season, their first in all competitions since a narrow loss to Arsenal in early September.
However, the scoreline barely hints at the blurb, let alone tells the story. Claude Puel’s side monopolised possession and chances at the San Siro, with Virgil Van Dijk, Charlie Austin and James Ward-Prowse inches away from a deserved equaliser at the death.
Fraser Forster 6
Blameless for Candreva’s clinically dispatched matchwinner. It’s testament to Southampton’s dominance that he was a relative spectator throughout the 90 minutes.
Cuco Martina 6
Combined intuitively with Tadic on the right hand side in the first half and provided a number of threatening deliveries with either foot. One superb left-footed cross created one of the Saints’ clearest chances with Rodriguez inches away from tapping home at the back post following a flick from Long.
However, failed to close down Davide Santon’s cross for Candreva’s strike after inadvertently playing in Mauro Icardi with a blind back pass within the opening minutes.
Maya Yoshida 7
Stepped up impressively in the absence of influential captain Jose Fonte, making a superbly timed sliding block to deny Icardi in the second half. Won most of his aerial duels against the usually prolific Argentine.
Virgil Van Dijk 6
Superb distribution from the back and a threat in the air. However, Van Dijk was caught on his heels and beaten to the ball by Candreva’s winner and later prodded straight at Samir Handanovic when it seemed easier to score. Had an effort cleared off the line dramatically by Yuto Nagatomo in the dying seconds.
Sam McQueen 7
Another solid performance from the young full-back, dunked in at the deep end due to injuries to Ryan Bertrand and Matt Target. Kept the elusive Candreva on a tight leash throughout and provided an effective outball on the flank.
Oriol Romeu 7
A calm, composed presence in the centre of the park, Romeu kept things simple and allowed Van Dijk and Ward-Prowse to embrace a more expansive approach. Positioned himself intelligently in front of the back four to restrict spaces for the likes of Eder and Marcelo Brozovic to drift into.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 7
One superb run in the first half, complete with a graceful dummy, demonstrated his effectiveness in transition. The Danish international picked up a needless booking with a clumsy foul late on but that was a rare blot in an otherwise impressive display. Once again showcased his superb weight of pass.
James Ward-Prowse 8
Southampton’s most dangerous attacking threat, Ward-Prowse’s wicked free-kick from the served the visitors’ best chance up on a plate with garnish for Van Dijk. Busy and inventive throughout, the England Under-21 international had a well-struck shot tipped over in the first half before fizzing an excellent volley wide with the last kick.
Dusan Tadic 6 (off ’73)
His clever movement and intelligent link-play with Martina induced headaches in the Inter backline early on, but the Serbian was unusually wasteful in possession, under-hitting a number of crosses.
Shane Long 5 (off ’48)
Limped off with an apparent hamstring strain minutes into the second-half, Long was quiet throughout despite the nervy nature of the hosts defence.
Jay Rodriguez 6 (off ’78)
Drifted into some good positions but lacked the sharpness or clarity of thought to turn promising opportunities into clear chances. Had a bundled effort cleared off the line by Nagatomo in the first half.
Substitutes
Charlie Austin 6 (on ’48)
Almost continued his prolific streak seconds after coming on by lashing a right footed shot just wide from the edge of the box. Also denied by a brilliant stop from Handanovic late on after reacting sharpest to a loose ball following a corner.
Sofiane Boufal 5 (on ’73)
Making his belated debut after an extended period on the sidelines with injury, the club-record signing was visibly lacking in match sharpness.
Steven Davis 5 (on ’78)
Brought on to add energy in midfield after Brozovic’s second-half dismissal for two yellows.
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