Southampton made the short trip across the New Forest to face Bournemouth in desperate need of a goal and three points.

Claude Puel’s side have been struggling in front of goal in recent weeks, with the absence of Charlie Austin not helping.

However, the Frenchman’s players finally came good with Ryan Bertrand and Jay Rodriguez ensuring they took all three points home with them.

The first half got off to a lively start and the Cherries took an early lead when Nathan Ake got in front of Pierre Emile Hojbjerg to head home Jack Wilshere’s cross on six minutes.

Josh King was handed a golden chance to double the host’s lead with 11 minutes on the clock after a mistake from Boufal let the Norwegian clean through, however he couldn’t take advantage.

As the first half bore on, the visitors began to grow and, before long, they were level as Ryan Bertrand broke into the box and executed smart finish into the far right corner, take note Southampton strikers.

The Saints looked comfortable going into the break but were lacking that final ball on most occasions.

Into the second half and the introduction of Steven Davis at the break seemed to light a fire in the Saints midfield. Three minutes into the second period and the Northern Ireland international made an impact, combining well with Sofiane Boufal before squaring for Jay Rodriguez, who couldn’t miss.

Taking the lead gave Puel’s side a new found confidence as they dominated for large spells whilst the Cherries failed to make any real impact at the other end.

With five minutes to go in the second half, Rodriguez was on hand again as he spun on the edge of the area and struck a spectacular volley into the top corner, sealing the win for Claude Puel’s side.

The victory sees Southampton climb to seventh in the Premier League, but what else can we take from it? Here’s FIVE things we learned from Bournemouth v Southampton…

Southampton forwards can learn from their defenders

Saints have been really struggling in front of goal this term, this afternoon was the first time the south coast side have scored more than once away from home since a 3-0 win over West Ham in September.

Ryan Bertrand, who scored a fabulous goal in the EFL Cup at Arsenal in November, stepped up to show his teammates how it is done with a fine first-half finish. Maybe the England international should take charge of some finishing drills in training?

Rodriguez needs time

Two goals today, including a rather spectacular volley on the turn to seal the win, will do the former Burnley man the world of good.

It’s been a long battle back from injury for Rodriguez, who has struggled to find the sensational form he was in before his injury in 2014.

Having scored two today, and considering Southampton’s recent struggles in front of goal, a lot will now be expected of the striker, however, he still needs time to settle playing week in, week out once more.

Romeu is a big loss

Despite what seems a convincing win, Southampton were far from impressive in the first half, and often struggled in the middle of the park, with scrappy errors here and there.

The introduction of Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis went a long way to remedying that, however, the frailties show just how important Oriel Romeu is to this Southampton side.

Claude Puel will be pleased to have him back for the visit of Tottenham after Christmas.

Bournemouth need some consistency

Eddie Howe’s side have claimed the scalps of Leicester, Everton and Liverpool at home this season, but were a long way off those performances against their south coast neighbours.

It has often been a case of guessing which Cherries side will turn up this season, something which must be addressed should they want to stay in the top half of the table.

Could well be a derby soon

Whatever the fans say regarding this clash, it is most definitely a local rivalry, which could soon blossom into a real south coast derby.

There has been much debate in the days leading up to the game with many on the Southampton side claiming it was just another game.

However, that line seemed to go out the window after kick-off with a lively atmosphere between both sets of fans, this could become quite the clash in years to come.