Saints v Ipswich – player ratings

Smith – 7: Had little chance with either of the goals and made a wonderful point blank save from Man of the Match Lee reminiscent of the great Antti Niemi.

Kenton – 6: Worked hard and showed good pace, but offered little going forward. Did well when moved into central defence.

Lundekvam – 5: Struggled to cope with the muscular Lee and didn’t look up for the fight. Was his usual calming self when sweeping up at the back.

Powell – 5: Not at his dominant best, but was tidy enough at the back and worked hard.

Higginbotham – 6: Worked hard and made a number of timely interceptions at the back post. Frequently isolated on the left and failed to gel with the out of position Quashie, meaning he had to resort to aimless punts down the line.

Belmadi – 7: One of Saints’ few bright spots, he looked skilful and lively in possession before limping off in the second half. Was restricted in a deeper than normal role and may have been more effective on the left.

Delap – 4: Such a frustrating player who drifted in and out of the game. Made a couple of powerful interceptions to start Saints moves only to then go AWOL. Has the talent to be much more effective than this.

Oakley – 6: Much improved over QPR and found his passing boots once again, only to have few options on the ball. Should be a dominant force in this league, but still yet to impose his genuine talent for 90 minutes.

Quashie – 5: Huffed and puffed, but a subdued performance from Saints’ usual inspiration, strangely played out of position at left midfield. Looked a frustrated man out there as he did his best to get stuck in and get Saints moving.

Pahars – 7: Great to see the Latvian wizard back in the starting line-up and he did as well as could be expected after so long out. Showed touches of his old magic and with a little more match fitness would have been on the scoresheet when he sprung the offside trap.

Blackstock – 7: Did his best up front with little service. He finally broke through in at the end of the first half only to be cynically clipped from behind for what should have been a red card. A genuine goal poacher, he needs the rest of the team to provide him with the ammunition to shine.

Hajto – 7: One of his best performances for Saints, as he looked back to his best at right back. Strong on the ball and with good distribution, he deserves a full run out in the next game.

Prutton – 6: Worked hard and his crunching tackle was one of the few highlights in the second half. Struggled to find the killer pass on the right of midfield as Saints struggled.

Jones – 5: An improvement over QPR when nothing stuck for him. Had no chances in front of goal and did a lot of hard work as the target man.