A year to the day when Rooney announced himself with that astonishing winner against Arsenal as a 16-year-old, the suspended England striker was not around to add his blend of power, pace and sheer entertainment.

Southampton were delighted. They were the better side and should have turned their greater possession into goals. But Rooney was not around to punish their failure to take a string of chances.

He will be 18 by the time he returns to the fray next weekend for Everton, and that cannot come quick enough for manager David Moyes.

He witnessed a poor display from his own side, littered with errors and full of just sweat and toil – so different from that memorable day for all Evertonians 12 months ago.

Everton were without the injured trio Alan Stubbs, Tomasz Radzinski and Duncan Ferguson and it meant that David Weir and Kevin Campbell came in for their first games of the season while Francis Jeffers had his first start of the campaign, with Gary Naysmith ousting Dave Unsworth.

Southampton were without the suspended Kevin Phillips, so Brett Ormerod came in as the only change from the side that went out of the UEFA Cup in midweek against Steaua Bucharest.

But there was no European hangover from the Saints, who started with enterprise and in sprightly fashion, even if Everton had the best couple of chances early on.

After only 60 seconds Ormerod got down the flank far too easily, reached the byline and drilled a low cross to the near post where James Beattie was crowded out.

Scotland youngster James McFadden, so impressive in his first few games in England, almost broke the deadlock when he surged into the box after a corner and unleashed a fierce drive which Saints keeper Antti Niemi had to beat away.

Jeffers tested Niemi with a snap-shot from 20 yards and Campbell turned to fire inches wide, but it was collective good work of the Saints that had Everton on the back foot, and Nigel Martyn had to beat away a 10-yard shot from Ormerod after some neat approach work.

But the game was error strewn and Martyn managed to make a real mess of a kick away outside his box, with Beattie firing a dipping cross-shot back across the empty goal and just wide of the far post.

Saints upped their tempo after the break and Beattie saw two headers clear the bar, and Fabrice Fernandes also went close from long range.

Everton were spluttering in every department but McFadden wasted a glorious chance from eight yards out and unmarked when he sliced across goal from a Steve Watson cross.

Everton lost Lee Carsley with a thigh injury and then Moyes decided to withdraw McFadden, who after a bright start had started to run out of ideas, and give Kevin Kilbane a run on the left.

But although Watson should have scored with a close-range header, Southampton still looked the more likely to gain the breakthrough and Rory Delap’s 12-yard effort after 75 minutes almost achieved that aim.

Everton did break from a long spell in defence with 10 minutes remaining for Kilbane to blaze over from just outside the box.

Anders Svensson was booked for dissent after 82 minutes, and a free-kick was moved 10 yards closer – only for Thomas Gravesen to blast high and wide to sum up his terrible day and the match perfectly.