It was honours even at St. Mary's in the Premier League as Southampton and West Ham played out a 0-0 draw in a game with very few chances.
David Moyes' side arrived on the south coast looking to rediscover their winning groove, but they failed to test the Southampton goal with any great regularity and seen Michail Antonio sent off in stoppage time, despite Tomas Soucek passing up a great opportunity from a corner in the second half.
Southampton, meanwhile, showed the defensive resolve in which Ralph Hasenhuttl challenged his team to produce prior to the game, and were left rueing their luck when substitute Armando Broja hit the post late on.
Here's how both teams rated.
Southampton player ratings
1. Goalkeeper & defenders
Alex McCarthy (GK) - 6/10 - Tested with a few long-range efforts and saved well from a West Ham counter-attack early in the second half.
Tino Livramento (RB) - 8/10 - A constant threat down the right hand side and rarely lost possession when in control of the ball. A great capture for Southampton this summer.
Mohammed Salisu (CB) - 7/10 - Commanded the penalty box well and was Southampton's best performer defensively.
Jack Stephens (CB) - 6/10 - Proactive defensively and won most of his duels against the dangerous Michail Antonio.
Romain Perraud (LB) - 8/10 - An energetic presence down the left, the 23-year-old constantly worried the West Ham defence with his wicked deliveries.
2. Midfielders
Mohamed Elyounoussi (RM) - 5/10 - Moved to the opposite flank by Hasenhuttl this afternoon and struggled to influence proceedings.
Oriol Romeu (CM) - 5/10 - Booked inside 15 minutes for a silly foul on Benrahma and was replaced shortly after the interval.
James Ward-Prowse (CM) - 6/10 - Pressed tirelessly in midfield and held his own against the physical West Ham duo of Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice.
Moussa Djenepo (LM) - 8/10 - Threatened consistently on the left by using his pace to good effect, although struggled overall to break into areas where he could trouble Fabianski.
3. Forwards
Nathan Redmond (ST) - 5/10 - Struggled to use his pace to threaten in behind the Hammers' backline and hesitated when presented with a good opportunity on the break in the second half.
Adam Armstrong (ST) - 6/10 - Passed up an early half chance but generally looked Southampton's best hope for a goal.
4. Substitutes
Ibrahima Diallo (CM) - 6/10 - Solid cameo after replacing Oriol Romeu.
Armando Broja (ST) - 6/10 - Hit the post with Southampton’s best chance.
West Ham player ratings
5. Goalkeeper & defenders
Lukasz Fabianski (GK) - 6/10 - Rarely troubled between the posts.
Vladimir Coufal (RB) - 6/10 - Typically reliable, bursting forward on a few ocassions in the first half but couldn't find the final piece of quality.
Craig Dawson (CB) - 6/10 - Held his own with the arrival of Kurt Zouma adding some much needed competition in defence.
Angelo Ogbonna (CB) - 7/10 - A commanding presence and dealt with the pace of Armstrong and Redmond well.
Aaron Cresswell (LB) - 6/10 - Unusually reserved as an attacking outlet but defended well when called upon.
6. Midfielders
Declan Rice (CM) - 6/10 - Facilitated play for West Ham ahd helped establish superiority in midfield after the interval.
Tomas Soucek (CM) - 6/10 - His attacking threat was limited by Southampton's hard running and he should have buried a header from a Jarrod Bowen corner in the second half.
Said Benrahma (AM) - 8/10 - West Ham's chief attacking threat, threatening early in the first half before dinking a delightful cross onto Soucek's head in the second period. Surprisingly taken off for new boy Nikola Vlasic.
7. Forwards
Jarrod Bowen (RW) - 6/10 - Marshalled by Perraud in the early exchanges, but his influence grew in the second half.
Michail Antonio (ST) - 4/10 - His quietest performance of the season, although the forward lacked the required service. Sent off in stoppage time.
Pablo Fornals (LW) - 5/10 - The Spaniard has been in fine form this campaign but he struggled to get into the game this afternoon.
8. Substitutes
Nikola Vlasic (AM) - 6/10 - The Hammers faithful were treated to their first look at the Croatian.
Andriy Yarmolenko (RW) - N/A
Source : 90min