Southampton Boss Mauricio Pellegrino Praises 'Attitude' of Players in South Coast Derby Draw

Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino has praised the "attitude" of his players after Sunday's 1-1 draw against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

The Saints trailed at half-time in the south-coast derby after Ryan Fraser's opener, but levelled after the break through Charlie Austin.

And Pellegrino has admitted there was a significant improvement in the level of his side's performance.

Clive Rose/GettyImages

“I think the game was really tight because both teams were trying to win from the beginning until the end,” he told the club's official website.

“At the end of the first-half, maybe they were a little bit better than us after they scored but our reaction in the second-half was positive.

“Our attitude and our football was better and after we equalised both teams tried to win it.”

ADRIAN DENNIS/GettyImages

A draw left Southampton with four points from three games against Everton, Manchester City and Bournemouth, and Pellegrino reflected on a busy, demanding schedule.

“I think it was positive in our performances," he added. "The three games were all a little bit different but some of them, we played in different ways.

“I think the good thing is we adapted to different circumstances and now we have to look forward and use this reaction to learn for the future to not make this mistake. In the Premier League every single detail is very important.”

Southampton now sit in 11th place in the Premier League standings, two points above rivals Bournemouth.