Southampton left The Hawthorns with a point after struggling to find a way past a well-marshalled West Bromwich Albion defence this afternoon.

The hosts saw their appeals for a first-half penalty waved away by referee Stuart Atwell, while Saints forward Jay Rodriguez spurned his side's best chance.

However, both teams will be pleased with their defensive performances, particularly debutants Jonny Evans and Virgil Van Dijk.

Here, Sports Mole has rated the performances of all of the players on show.

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Goal

Boaz Myhill: Largely untested, but dealt with the few chances Southampton did create well and worked well with his back four. (6/10)

Defence

Jonny Evans: A solid debut from the former Manchester United defender, who slotted in perfectly to the Baggies side and won his duel with Pelle before being forced off late on with a knock. (7/10)

Chris Brunt: Booked, and had trouble keeping track of Tadic, but was a constant threat going forwards and from set pieces. (6/10)

Gareth McAuley: Worked hard and often joined the Baggies attack. (6/10)

Craig Dawson: Headed his side's best chance over the bar in the first half, but was confident and composed in his defensive duties. (6/10)

Midfield

Claudio Yacob: Positionally aware and covered a lot of ground in pursuit of Southampton's dynamic midfield, but offered little creatively. (6/10)

Craig Gardner: A typically busy performance from the hard working midfielder. Failed to find the target with a few efforts from range, but gave his all. (6/10)

Callum McManaman: West Brom's most attacking threat for the opening hour, before he was inexplicably withdrawn. Could have had a penalty after going down under the challenge of Targett in the first half. (7/10)

Darren Fletcher: Used all his experience to marshal his teammates, but almost gifted Pelle a late winner with a careless pass in his own area. (6/10)

Attack

Rickie Lambert: Played far deeper than usual, but picked out several key passes, including the ball which almost won his side a penalty. (6/10)

Salomon Rondon: Miscontrolled the ball on several occasions and looked off the pace after a tough week of international duty. Sent his best chance high over the top of goal. (5/10)

Substitutes

Saido Berahino: Came onto a mix of boos and cheers from the Baggies fans, but was ineffectual. (5/10)

James McClean: Replaced the lively McManaman, but couldn't pose the same questions of the Southampton defence. (5/10)

Jonas Olsson: A late replacement for the injured Evans. (6/10)

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Goal

Maarten Stekelenburg: Had little to do, but almost gifted the Baggies all three points when he dropped a free kick. (5/10)

Defence

Cedric Soares: Recovered from an early knock to put in an assured performance in support of Tadic down the right. (6/10)

Jose Fonte: Another confident and competent display from the Saints skipper who is quickly becoming one of the Premier League's best defenders. (7/10)

Virgil Van Dijk: An excellent debut from the former Celtic man who worked well with Fonte and frustrated the West Brom attack all game. Excellent with the ball, too, frequently joining the midfield. (7/10)

Matt Targett: Could have given away a penalty and the weak link of the Saints' back four, but showed glimpses of why he is so highly rated. (6/10)

Midfield

Steven Davis: Did little wrong, and attempted to pick a pass on several occasions, but couldn't grab the game by the scruff of the neck. (6/10)

Jay Rodriguez: Could have scored with a close range header and made several surges forward with the ball, but was withdrawn on 67 minutes. (6/10)

Dusan Tadic: Buzzed about The Hawthorns and constantly demanded the ball, but couldn't create much with it despite his best efforts. (7/10)

Victor Wanyama: Had little to do defensively, but didn't put a foot wrong on his return to action. (6/10)

Jamie Ward-Prowse: Another good performance from the young midfielder who combined well with Tadic and occasionally threatened the West Brom goal. (7/10)

Attack

Graziano Pelle: Not his finest afternoon in a Saints shirt. Looked a little tired and should have scored when gifted a chance late on. (5/10)

Substitutes

Sadio Mane: Thrown on as Southampton attempted to find the opener, but offered little in front of goal. (5/10)

Maya Yoshida: A late replacement for the tiring Soares. (6/10)

Written by
Joe Sharratt