Southampton 1 Sunderland 1 : Rodriguez saves a point for the Saints after Jermain Defoe penalty looked to have won it for Sunderland

JAY RODRIGUEZ saved a point for Southampton as his shot from 20 yards went under young keeper Jordan Pickford.

The young keeper played out of his skin to keep Southampton at bay and when Jermain Defoe scored a penalty with 11 minutes to go it looked like Sunderland had snatched the 3 points.

Southampton rallied and could have won the game as Sunderland were rocking after sub Rodriguez's equaliser on the 84th minute.

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The first half wasn't the best you will this season as both sides struggled to dominate and a draw was a fair result.

FACTS, STATS, GOALS AND LOLS

• Southampton midfielder Nathan Redmond was booked  cheaply for dissent  against Sunderland. It should have earned him a rocket from new boss Claude Puel. There are new rules this season to clamp down on such verbals.
• New England boss Sam Allarydyce  would have been  limited on who to look at as Southampton took on Sunderland. Less than a third of the players who started  the fixture qualified to don a Three Lions shirt.
•  One of those Englishman, though, Jermain Defoe just might still be worth a call up as he made and scored the opener. And Saints sub Jay Rodrguez?
• Jordan Pickford, Sunderland’s England under-21 stopper, gave Black Cats boss Davis Moyes reasons to keep faith with him in place of  the injured Vito Mannone  - with talk of national No.1 Joe Hart coming in on loan.
•  Charlie Austin had plenty to prove as he made his first Premier League start of the season for Southampton. The ex-QPR  striker had been limited to just six league appearances since a scoring debut against Manchester United in January.
•   Steven Pienaar, making his Sunderland league debut, was desperate to impress Moyes, his Everton boss who rescued the South African following his release from Goodison at the end of last season.
•  Southampton’s brass band provided surprising pre-match entertainment pitchside with a rendition of Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk. Can’t imagine the Grimethorpe Colliery Band doing that one.
•  You have to feel for the Sunderland fans making the 640-mile round-trip away from their families on Bank Holiday.
• Stifling heat indoors in the rooms at St Mary’s led someone to request a search for a fan in one of them. One wag remarked: ‘Try outside pitchside – there’s about 30,000 of them!”Sunderland went in knowing they had not won in the Prem for 16 matches in August , going back five season
• Jay Rodriguez's equalizer was his first goal in two years will England come calling again?

BIG PICTURE

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Social Says

DREAM TEAM RATINGS

SOUTHAMPTON: Forster 5 , Cedric 6 , Fonte, Van Dijk 7 , Targett, Romeu 7, Hojbjerg 6 (Ward-Prowse 6, 82), Davis 6, Tadic 6 (Long 5, 67), Redmond 7, Austin 5 (Rodriguez 7, 74)

Not used: Bertrand, Clasie, Yoshida, McCarthy

Goals: Rodriguez, 85

Booked: Redmond, 29, Davis 48,

SUNDERLAND: Pickford, Manquillo 6, Kone 6, Djilobodji 7 , Van Aanholt 6, Rodwell 6, Januzaj 7, Pienaar 6 (Lens 6, 67), Gooch 6 (Love 6, 77), Borini 6 (Watmore 6, 64), (Lens 67), Defoe 7

Not used: Asoro, Khazri, McNair, Stryiek

Goals: Defoe 79

Booked: Pienaar 65, Rodwell 91

STAR MAN: Papy Djilobodji, 7

WHAT THEY SAID 

Southampton boss Claude Puel: “It is disappointing this afternoon. It was a good game for the two teams but for the third game we had many possibilities to score. It was important for my players to show good character and spirit to find the equaliser. It is a better result for us just before the international break.

“It is interesting for the future but always important to take points and the next game we will see in our next game against Arsenal.

“Perhaps another player will come to Southampton but nothing is signed. It is a possibility to take one or two to add energy to the squad.”

Sunderland boss David Moyes: "It was really tough in the opening period, we never really got to grips with them. There were periods in the first half we played quite well and some of the stuff we did was quite OK.

"I was hoping it was going to be our day and we are having difficult days at the club. We are finding it difficult to get players on to the pitch.

"Jordan Pickford played really well today and made some good saves. This is what you get with young goalkeepers, there are times they will make mistakes and you have to put up with it. If a defender or midfielder make mistakes, it is not highlighted, but for a goalkeeper it is.

"We did well to contain them and did well to get a point. I am delighted but we were unlucky not to get a draw at Man City and last week at Middlesbrough but the last 10 minutes we are finding tough.

"I am sure we will make some additions in the remaining days of the transfer window because we definitely need it."