AFC Bournemouth continued their push for a UEFA Champions League place with a professional 3-1 victory over Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium.

They took the lead early on as a sumptuous cross was headed in by Dango Ouattara from close range, before Ryan Christie, who set up that goal, made it 2-0 just moments later with a stunning effort from distance.

The Saints were much improved after the break and their efforts paid off as they clawed a goal back through Kamaldeen Sulemana’s fine finish in the 72nd minute.

But the away side ensured victory 11 minutes later as Marcus Tavernier drilled a powerful effort home, staving off any late Bournemouth nerves.

Southampton remain rooted to the bottom of the table, 10 points adrift of safety, while the Cherries move up to fifth in the table, just one point behind fourth-place Manchester City.

How the match unfolded

Neither side asserted themselves in the opening exchanges, but Bournemouth took the lead with their first opportunity, Ouattara glancing home from yards out after a superb cross down the left by Christie.

The Scot then doubled their advantage just over two minutes later with a fine low effort from outside the penalty area which nestled into the bottom corner.

Just before half-time, Aaron Ramsdale made a smart stop to deny Ouattara as the Cherries continued to turn the screw, while Sulemana scuffed Southampton’s best chance wide at the other end.

Ramsdale was called upon again after the break to tip over a ferocious shot from Antoine Semenyo and, from the resulting corner, claw Christie’s header away from goal in incredible fashion.

The Saints continued to improve though, halving the advantage as the dangerous Sulemana took Paul Onuachu’s layoff in stride to drill home a powerful effort.

However, they were punished as they continued to throw bodies forward, as a Cherries breakaway saw Tavernier bend one past Ramsdale to end the contest.

Saints’ misery continues despite admirable second half

Any momentum taken from Ivan Juric’s first win as manager away to Ipswich Town was extinguished with last weekend’s FA Cup fourth-round defeat to Championship side Burnley, and Southampton’s latest defeat at home only compounds a season of struggles.

They did start the match with purpose, restricting Bournemouth to little time on the ball when they tried to create openings but poor errors at the back – a main feature of their season – led to them going behind early on and ultimately giving themselves too much to do.

Christie was afforded too much time to deliver the cross for the first goal while a wayward pass from Jan Bednarek just outside his own penalty area resulted in the Scotsman putting the game beyond the Saints after just 16 minutes.

Juric’s half-time team talk seemed to do the trick as they showed clear signs of improvement. Substitute Tyler Dibling was at the centre of their most promising attacks, and Sulemana also carried a threat, capping his display with a fine goal to hand the Saints a lifeline. But it was not enough.

Southampton must take encouragement from that battling second-half display when they host another south-coast rival next weekend, as Brighton & Hove Albion visit St Mary’s.

Bournemouth reach new heights

Bournemouth put their defeat to Premier League leaders Liverpool behind them with an impressive FA Cup fourth-round win over Everton last weekend, and they back that up with another fine display on their travels here.

They struggled to get going during the initial stages, but once they took a quick two-goal lead, the Cherries controlled the majority of the match, while also defending admirably during a period of sustained Southampton pressure in the second half.

Christie helped himself to a goal and assist and his metronomic display, along with some intelligent runs from deep, contributed to a masterful performance in the middle of the park for his side.

Andoni Iraola’s side are now within touching distance of the top four, leapfrogging Chelsea and Newcastle United thanks to this victory, but there was more to celebrate for the manager.

After weeks of injury troubles, Bournemouth were bolstered by the return of players from injury layoffs as Alex Scott and Luis Sinisterra were both back in the squad and got vital minutes under their belts.

Bournemouth now host Wolverhampton Wanderers next weekend as they continue their quest for European football for the first time in their history.

Saints' second half goes with little reward 

The Saints were much improved after the break and their efforts paid off as they clawed a goal back through Sulemana’s fine finish in the 72nd minute.

But the away side ensured victory 11 minutes later as Marcus Tavernier drilled a powerful effort home, staving off any late Bournemouth nerves.

Southampton remain rooted to the bottom of the table, ten points adrift of safety, while the Cherries move up to fifth in the table, just one point behind fourth-placed Manchester City.

Club reports

Southampton report | Bournemouth report

What the managers said

Ivan Juric: "They were the better team in the first half and second half I think we did really well but it was not enough."

Andoni Iraola: "I think it is a great result for us. We started very well and in the first minutes we started really strong. We want it from the start to try and score early. I think we made the difference and we knew it was an important start."

Next PL fixtures

Match officials

Referee: Jarred Gillett. Assistants: Darren Cann, Richard West. Fourth official: Chris Kavanagh. VAR: Peter Bankes. Assistant VAR: Steve Meredith.