Tranmere boss Nigel Adkins admitted his side’s 1-1 draw at Sutton “felt like a defeat” after Louis John rescued a point for the division’s bottom side with a late equaliser.
Rovers seemed on course to end a run of eight successive away league defeats this season by claiming victory at Gander Green Lane thanks to Ben Goodliffe’s first-half own goal.
But, with just two minutes left of regulation time, Tranmere were pegged back by John’s leveller as the spoils were shared.
Adkins, whose side were on course to win back-to-back league games for the first time since February, took plenty of positives from Rovers’ performance but conceded the late goal was something of a sucker punch.
He said: “We were hard to beat. We didn’t lose, let’s remember that. But it feels like a defeat.
“It’s a very invaluable point on the road. It took some good, resilient performances to get that.
“We’ve seen a committed performance from the players, who have had to do the ugly parts of the game and at the very end you’ve seen the appreciation from the players and the supporters together.
“At this moment in time, we’ve come away from home and seen a committed performance. I’ve seen some flashes of good stuff, we haven’t lost which is important because we’ve spoken about addressing our away form.
“This is a step towards doing that.
“It’s exactly as we thought the game would be.
“You can see the direct nature of the opposition and you’ve got to give them credit that’s what they do. They’re top of the league for most direct balls and we knew we had to go and deal with that and halt their momentum.
“Ultimately, we got done in the last minute by a scrappy little knockdown which has gone through peoples’ feet.”
After struggling to string results together so far this season, Matt Gray’s spirited Sutton side are on their best run to date as they try and fight their way towards safety.
This was a third league game without defeat, their longest run this term, and manager Gray said: “It’s four unbeaten now in all competitions when you include the FA Cup.
“It’s the sixth good performance. Today was probably the lesser of the six, the other five I was reasonably pleased with the majority of the games.
“I felt we weren’t at the levels I want in the first half. I didn’t feel we deserved to go in behind, but I wasn’t happy with the performance.
“There was a real spirited and together display in the second half.
“We looked like the side most likely to get the second goal and although it came late I’m thankful we got it.
“We didn’t work the keeper as much as we would have liked. But we kept probing and I didn’t feel threatened down the other end.
“I was waiting for that little bit of a spark or some quality and it’s come from the end with a corner.”
Iraola demands Bournemouth pick up points in south coast derby
Andoni Iraola believes it is critical that Bournemouth win points in all games against non-European opposition if they are to improve on last season's 12th-place finish.
Iraola guided Bournemouth to their highest-ever Premier League points total (48) last campaign but has overseen an underwhelming start to this season.
Bournemouth lost 3-0 to Liverpool last weekend, to add to defeats against Chelsea and West Ham. Their only win so far came away at Everton, with a spectacular 3-2 comeback, after trailing 2-0 as late as the 87th minute.
Though Iraola will be watching on from the stands as he serves a touchline ban, he stressed the importance of beating sides like Southampton if the Cherries are to go better than last season.
"It is a derby – a game that everybody always wants to win. Considering the standings, I think it's a very important game for us," the Bournemouth manager told the media.
"Every game we play against a non-European team is definitive. Every time you play, you have to take the most you can.
"It looks like an exciting game. It will be a demanding one, but I think we are training well and ready for it. I'm sure they will be a good team. I don't see weak teams in the Premier League."
Southampton remain in search of their first win of the season, after a rocky start to their first season back in the league.
Russell Martin’s side picked up their first point of the season at home to Ipswich Town but were unlucky to miss out on all three after being pegged back by a last-minute equaliser from Sam Morsy.
Martin hopes his side can take inspiration from their upcoming opponents as they look to kickstart their league campaign and move out of the relegation places.
"Iraola has done a brilliant job, but it took him some time, in the same way it has taken us a bit of time to adapt and adjust. They had a bumpy start under Andoni but they've been brilliant ever since and they've kept building on it," he said.
"We're learning more about what's required at this level. I hope, in the five games we've had, they have enough to know that to feel fear of the Premier League.
"You have to embrace it and really seize the opportunity we have. I feel more and more that they are doing that and the results will follow."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Bournemouth – Antoine Semenyo
Semenyo has the highest goal contributions in the Bournemouth squad so far this season with two goals and one assist to his name.
In the loss at Anfield last week, Semenyo had the joint-highest expected goals total (0.35) among his teammates, equal with Luis Sinisterra. It was also the joint third-highest total across both sides.
He also got the joint most shots away in the match (four), level with Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz.
Southampton – Tyler Dibling
Dibling became Southampton's fourth-youngest Premier League goalscorer when he netted against Ipswich Town at just 18 years and 217 days old.
The youngster has also created five chances for Southampton this season, the third-highest in the squad, despite having only played 205 minutes.
Martin said Dibling's "ceiling is so high", adding: At this moment he couldn't play for every team, he suits the way we play a lot, and he's getting so much better at the stuff he needs to improve on."
MATCH PREDICTION: BOURNEMOUTH WIN
Southampton have found it difficult on their travels of late. They will be looking to reverse a nine-match Premier League away winless streak (W0, D2, L7), having not won on the road in the top flight since February 2023 against Chelsea.
If there is one opponent to do it against though, it could be their south coast rivals. Bournemouth are winless in their last five against Southampton at the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League (D2 L3).
But even that may prove too tough of a challenge. Southampton have picked up just one point in their opening five Premier League matches in 2024-25, their fewest at this stage of a league season since 1998-99, when they had no points after five games.
Southampton also remain winless in their last 18 Premier League matches (D5 L13), since a 1-0 win over Leicester City in March 2023. The last side to have a longer winless run were Norwich City between March 2020 and October 2021 (20 games).
Bournemouth can feel more hopeful about their recent form. Despite suffering a 3-0 defeat at Liverpool last time out, they had 19 shots. That was the joint most by an away team in a Premier League game at Anfield on record since 2003-04.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Bournemouth – 56.7%
Draw – 21.7%
Southampton – 21.6%
Al Kholood 2-4 Al-Hilal: Koulibaly on target as champions move to summit
Al-Hilal withstood a late Al Kholood rally to move top of the Saudi Pro League following a 4-2 victory at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium.
The damage was done during a late first-half surge by the reigning champions, who leapfrogged Al-Ittihad to the summit of the table.
Al-Hilal broke the deadlock in the 38th minute through former Napoli and Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who finished after Renan Lodi initially struck the woodwork.
Malcom doubled the lead four minutes later, then Ali Al Bulayhi made it 3-0 in first-half stoppage time.
Former Atletico Madrid and Nottingham Forest defender Lodi then got in the act to make it four within three minutes of the restart.
The hosts finished the contest the stronger of the two sides with Hammam Al Hammami and a William Troost-Ekong penalty halving the deficit, but that rally could not prevent the visitors from remaining perfect after their first five games.
Data Debrief: Al-Hilal remain perfect
Al-Hilal have won each of their opening five games in a Saudi Pro League season for the third time in their history, also achieving the feat in 2010-11 and 2018-19.
Jorge Jesus' side also continued their dominant record against newly promoted clubs, having now won each of their last nine such matches.
Despite their late surge, Al Kholood suffered their third defeat of the season, though there was individual cause for celebration, as former Al-Hilal player Mohammed Jahfali came on for his 200th Saudi Pro League appearance.
International record goalscorer Sinclair to retire after NWSL season
Christine Sinclair, the all-time record goalscorer in international football, will retire at the end of the National Women’s Soccer League in November.
Sinclair, 41, has 190 goals in 331 appearances for Canada, making her the top scorer across both men's and women's football.
She has played for the NWSL's Portland Thorns since 2013, helping them to win the inaugural title that year. She added further league crowns to her collection in 2017 and 2022.
The Canadian great has had similar success with her national team, winning a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She is also one of three players to score at five World Cups, alongside Brazil's Marta and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.
Sinclair retired from international football in December 2023, and will now call time on her club career.
"Portland, thank you will never be enough. Soccer has been my passion since I was four years old and it has taken me on a journey I could never have imagined," Sinclair wrote on Instagram.
"As I finish out this last ride, I want to say what a privilege it has been to represent this unique, beautiful, and passionate city that I will always call home."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
