Everton stunned as Southampton end Toffees' unbeaten record

It was a near complete performance from Southampton as they ended Everton's unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign with a deserved 2-0 win at St Mary's.

Goals from James Ward-Prowse and Che Adams were enough to topple the league leaders, in a game where Ralph Hassenhuttl can have no complaints after a superb shift from all in red and white.

It was a disappointing display from the Toffees who never really got going; with service limited for talismanic figures James Rodriguez and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who couldn't extend his goalscoring streak to six consecutive games, and things would go from bad to worse for Carlo Ancelotti, as he lost Lucas Digne to a red card after a nasty challenge on Kyle Walker-Peters.

It was a tremendous showing from the Saints' strike partnership of Danny Ings and Adams, with both utilising their pace well in the wide half-spaces, luring Everton centre-backs Michael Keane and Yerry Mina into uncomfortable positions that they didn't want to go, allowing for Stuart Armstrong and Nathan Redmond to drift inside from the flanks and exploit the central spaces in behind.

The first goal stemmed from some excellent interplay off the right flank, with talismanic striker Ings poking the ball through for his captain Ward-Prowse to strike fiercely past Jordan Pickford, and the second resulted again from impressive movement from Ings, peeling away from his marker Mina into the left channel,driving to the byline and fizzing a cross into the path of Adams who stayed calm to take a touch and fire home past the England goalkeeper via a deflection.

Gylfi Sigurdsson had rattled the bar for Everton and James Rodriguez had a free kick comfortably saved by Alex McCarthy, but Everton were near-toothless in attack as Calvert-Lewin was quiet throughout; excellently marshalled by a combination of Jan Bednarek and Jannik Vestergaard.

The Toffees were without their star Brazilian on the left flank today, and the lack of his presence was felt with both his deputies, Alex Iwobi and Bernard, both putting in disappointing displays, hardly troubling Walker-Peters.

Without the former Watford winger, Everton's front three were uncharacteristically dim - James Rodriguez did not quite have the creative influence, well tracked infield by Romeu and Ryan Bertrand, whilst Calvert-Lewin was starved of any decent service coming into the Southampton box, with most crosses easily dealt with by a Saints head.

It proves that Everton may well need to re-evaluate their squad depth, or perhaps their formational choices, with James often surrounded by three or four bodies as he tried to play in the half-space, and Calvert-Lewin often tightly marked by either one of the hosts' central defenders.

Overall, Ancelotti's men lacked that bite; that relentlessness in front of goal that Richarlison often gives them - and neither Iwobi nor Bernard were the answer today.

Whilst Ings may get most of the plaudits for his goals, a standout performer who is often left under the radar for the Saints is Adams, who worked tirelessly all game to pin back the Everton backline, targeting Michael Keane's lack of pace in the right-hand channel, stretching the Toffees' defence and causing carnage for Lucas Digne as well, who was caught in two minds often, needing to decide whether to track Adams or Armstrong down the Southampton right.

The former Birmingham striker took his goal superbly and worked his socks off for the cause, and was deservedly named man of the match.

Southampton: McCarthy 6, Walker-Peters 6, Bednarek 7, Vestergaard 7, Bertrand 8, Armstrong 7, Ward-Prowse 7, Romeu 7, Redmond 7, Adams 9, Ings 8.

Everton: Pickford 6, Godfrey 5, Mina 6, Keane 5, Digne 4, Doucoure 5, Allan 5, Sigurdsson 6, Rodriguez 5, Calvert-Lewin 5, Iwobi 5

19': CLOSE! A really nice shift in play from Allan through Iwobi and James into the path of Sigurdsson, who cuts in and unleashes a powerful dipper that rattles the crossbar!

28' GOAL! What a finish from James Ward-Prowse! Worked nicely infield after a throw from the right, and poked through by Danny Ings, and the Saints captain muscles off Digne to fire hard and low across Pickford to stun the league leaders.

35': GOAL! It's 2-0! Che Adams fires Southampton into a two-goal cushion, and it all starts with his strike partner Ings drifting wide left, fizzing the ball across to the back stick, where the former Birmingham man remains cool and composed to take it down and fire past Pickford! Where do Everton go from here?

40': NO GOAL! A brilliant ball played through to an isolated Che Adams, and he drives through and holds the ball, waiting for support from Armstrong who sweeps it in beautifully, but the flag does eventually go up against the former, and it stays at two.

72': RED! Lucas Digne is off, after chopping down the advancing Walker-Peters from behind, raking his studs down the back of the ankle - a dangerous challenge - and Everton are down to 10.

Today's defeat for Everton is their first in all competitions this season.