Southampton 2-2 Burnley: Player ratings as points shared in thrilling draw
By Tom Gott
Southampton and Burnley put on a show as the two sides battled to a thrilling 2-2 draw at St Mary's on Saturday afternoon.
A smart finish from Maxwel Cornet gave Burnley the lead 13 minutes in, with the Ivorian popping up in the box to head home an excellent cross from Matt Lowton.
Southampton responded well and could have easily had three or four before the break. Nathan Redmond scuffed wide from just a few yards out before Tino Livramento, who saw a shot ping back off the post, finally headed home from a corner to tie things up.
Just a few minutes after the restart, Armando Broja made it 2-1 as he pounced on a shocking pass from James Tarkowski to fire the ball past Nick Pope.
But against the run of play, Cornet unleashed a snap half-volley which fizzed its way into the back of the net to level the match with half an hour to play.
Both sides pushed hard in search of a winner, with Southampton ending the game on top, but the points were shared when all was said and done.
SOUTHAMPTON PLAYER RATINGS
1. Goalkeeper & defenders
Alex McCarthy (GK) - 6/10 - Not particularly busy but made a smart save to deny Chris Wood in the first half.
Tino Livramento (RB) - 8/10 - Abysmal marking for Burnley's opener but responded with some dominant attacking play. Deserved his goal.
Jan Bednarek (CB) - 5/10 - A little shaky at times and was bullied by Cornet for Burnley's second.
Mohammed Salisu (CB) - 7/10 - A real force at the back. Enjoyed his battle with Wood and Cornet and usually came out on top.
Romain Perraud (LB) - 5/10 - Not particularly impressive defensively and looked to be a little tired throughout.
2. Midfielders
Theo Walcott (RM) - 5/10 - Got himself in some good areas but didn't do nearly enough when there.
Oriol Romeu (CM) - 6/10 - Threw his body around a lot to try and deal with Burnley's midfield three.
Ibrahima Diallo (CM) - 6/10 - Took far too long to get into the game but when he did, he inspired real improvement from his team. Infectious energy.
Mohamed Elyounoussi (LM) - 6/10 - Not involved as much as he'd have wanted but still contributed to Southampton's press.
3. Forwards
Armando Broja (ST) - 8/10 - Really impressive in attack. Took his goal well and could have had another, and he should have had an assist for Redmond's howler.
Nathan Redmond (ST) - 6/10 - One of the worst misses you'll see all season.
4. Substitutes
Stuart Armstrong (RM) - 6/10 - Added some extra energy and threat out wide.
Che Adams (ST) - 5/10 - Spurned a decent chance for a winner late on.
Adam Armstrong - N/A - A late substitute.
BURNLEY PLAYER RATINGS
5. Goalkeeper & defenders
Nick Pope (GK) - 5/10 - His poor form continues. Just doesn't look particularly confident anymore.
Matt Lowton (RB) - 6/10 - Some great crosses into the box but plenty of poor moments defensively.
James Tarkowski (CB) - 5/10 - Came off second best in his battle with Broja and made a shocking mistake to gift the Albanian a goal.
Nathan Collins (CB) - 6/10 - Growing in stature with each passing game. Nice and solid here.
Charlie Taylor (LB) - 5/10 - Made a goal-saving block but did gift Southampton far too many chances with some sloppy play at the back.
6. Midfielders
Dwight McNeil (RM) - 7/10 - Some clever movement to shift Southampton's defence out of position. Involved in everything good his side did.
Jack Cork (CM) - 4/10 - Didn't really do a lot. Wasted Burnley's advantage in midfield with some really ineffective passing.
Josh Brownhill (AM) - 5/10 - Was asked to link up midfield and attack but didn't do that at all.
Ashley Westwood (CM) - 6/10 - Got the assist for Cornet's second but was otherwise a bit quiet.
Maxwel Cornet (LM) - 8/10 - Just like Livramento, had some shocking moments at the back but stole the show going forwards. A great header and a really impressive strike for his second.
7. Forward
Chris Wood (ST) - 5/10 - Pretty anonymous as Salisu bullied him out of the game.
8. Substitutes
Jay Rodriguez (ST) - 5/10 - Made an awful challenge just seconds after coming on.
Johann Gudmundsson - 5/10 - Did very little in his limited time on the pitch.
Matej Vydra - N/A - On in injury time.