Slick Southampton score four as Everton produce yet another dismal defensive display

Southampton 4 Everton 1: Two goals from Charlie Austin Sandwiched between Dusan Tadic’s first half opener and Steve Davis’s 87th minute strike inflicted a fifth defeat in seven games on Everton

Southampton move into the top-half of the table with the win (Getty)

Three days after branding his side’s display in the Europa League defeat to Atalanta as “unacceptable”, David Unsworth, the Everton caretaker-manager, was forced to confront another dismal display that highlighted the growing problems at the club.

Two goals from Charlie Austin - the forward’s first league goals in open play in 12 months - sandwiched between Dusan Tadic’s first half opener and Steve Davis’s 87th minute strike inflicted a fifth defeat in seven games on Everton since Unsworth took temporary charge following the dismissal of Ronald Koeman.

Gylfi Sigurdsson gave the visitors a brief moment of hope when he cancelled out Tadic’s opener just before half-time but there were few other positives for Everton in a performance that suggested an urgent need for the uncertainty surrounding the vacant manager’s position to be resolved quickly.

Unsworth admitted that most of the midweek line-up had made it easy for him to leave them out at St Mary’s, was good to his word, making eight changes with Wayne Rooney among those dropping to the bench.

Yet if the caretaker-manager was hoping for a reaction that might suggest the club’s fortunes are about to be turned round, he didn’t get it. Southampton have frequently laboured at home this season but against opponents desperately short of confidence, they started the game fluently and could easily have been three up inside the opening half hour.

Charlie Austin was restored to the Saints attack in place of Shane Long and should have marked his return with a goal in the seventh minute when Virgil Van Dijk rose to head James Ward-Prowse’s corner into the forward’s path. Just ten yards out and with time to measure his shot, Austin was guilty of snatching at the chance, sending the ball over the bar.

Tadic gave Southampton the lead with a deft finish (Getty)

By then, Everton had already been guilty of contributing to their own problems when Phil Jagielka attempted to chest Ward-Prowse’s free-kick back towards Jordan Pickford, forcing the keeper into a hurried save that did nothing to calm nerves among Unsworth’s side.

The sense that a goal was coming intensified when Southampton right-back Cedric managed to work his way to the by-line and turn inside Sigurdsson before sending a low cross towards Austin at the near post. This time the forward produced a more controlled finish and was unfortunate to see the ball bounce clear off the post.

Everton had little to offer by way of response and when the visitors did get a clear sight of goal, Kevin Mirallas overran the ball, allowing Fraser Forster to save easily.

Sigurddson scored a superb equaliser for the away side (Getty)

Briefly troubled, Southampton responded in the ideal way by forcing the lead with the kind of sweeping move that has been largely missing from their play this season. Ryan Bertrand won possession deep in his own half and pressed forward, laying the ball off to Austin and continuing with his run to collect a return from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg before sweeping in a low pass towards Tadic.

Leighton Baines was slow to spot the Serb’s run towards the edge of the box where Tadic took a touch before deftly flicking the ball past Pickford.

Austin scored a pair of close-range headers (Getty)

The goal reflected the balance of the game and Southampton should have extended their lead before Sigurdsson unexpectedly brought Everton back into the game on the stroke of half-time with a superb dipping shot from 25 yards out that crossed the line after striking the underside of the bar, the inside of a post, then the bar again.

Somehow Everton had been handed a route back into the game but any hope Sigurdsson’s first league goal for the club might prove a turning point disappeared seven minutes into the second half when Austin met Bertrand’s cross with a well-placed header. Six minutes later the forward produced an almost identical finish, this time from Tadic’s cross to kill off any chance of an Everton response. Davis’s late strike was no more than Saints deserved.

Davis made it four (Getty)

Southampton (4-2-3-1): Forster 6; Cedric 7, Van Dijk 7, Hoedt 7, Bertrand 8; Hojbjerg 7, Davis 7; Ward-Prowse 6, Tadic 8 (Lemina 78,6), Boufal 7 (Yoshida 86); Austin 9 (Long 80,6).

Subs not used: McCarthy, McQueen, Gabbiadini, Redmond

Everton (4-2-3-1): Pickford 6; Kenny 5, Jagielka 5, Keane 6 (Vlasic 75, 6), Baines 5 (Williams 27,6); Schneiderlin 5, Gueye 6; Lennon 5, Sigurdsson 6, Mirallas 5 (Lookman 64,6); Calvert-Lewin 7.

Subs not used: Robles, Ramirez, Rooney, Baningime.