EFL: Saints continue impressive form
Swansea City 1 - 3 Southampton
Southampton set a new club record with an unbeaten streak of 21 games, as they secured a 3-1 victory in Russell Martin's return to Swansea City.
The Saints are now well in the race for automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Che Adams opened the scoring just six minutes into the game, slotting home from close range. The momentum continued to shift in Southampton's favour as Will Smallbone tapped in their second goal.
However, Swansea managed to pull one back against the run of play with a Jamie Paterson header. The Saints then swiftly regained control, with Flynn Downes' 20-yard drive deflecting into the net.
Despite Swansea's late rally, including Jerry Yates and Paterson hitting the woodwork, Southampton comfortably held on to secure three points. This impressive unbeaten run in all competitions surpassed their previous record of a 20-game sequence set in 1921.
For Southampton boss Russell Martin, this victory held particular significance as it marked his first return to Wales since leaving his role as Swansea head coach to join St Mary's last June. The warm welcome he received added a touch of sweetness to the triumph.
On the other hand, it was a challenging afternoon for Swansea's Luke Williams, experiencing defeat in his first home league game as the team's new boss. Martin had previously faced Swansea on December 26, where they suffered a 5-0 defeat.
The match showcased Southampton's dominance, with Adams missing an early chance before capitalizing on a rebound from Stuart Armstrong's shot. Despite a brilliant double save from Swansea goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, Stuart Armstrong's seemingly offside cross found Smallbone, who tapped in the second goal.
Swansea briefly came back into the game with a well-executed move, resulting in Paterson heading home. Yet, Southampton quickly reasserted their control, with Downes marking his 25th birthday with a goal.
The second half saw a more even contest, with both teams having their chances. Paterson came close to a second goal for Swansea, while Southampton had opportunities through Adams and Fraser. Swansea's late surge, hitting the woodwork twice, failed to capitalize on late chances, allowing Southampton to secure the victory.
At full-time, the Southampton manager would have been delighted as marked his return to South Wales with what could prove to be a vital win.
"Beaten by the better team..."
A Swansea fan thought their performance was poor but was happy with some aspects of their play. He told us: "We can't complain really, we were beaten by a far better team. In the first half, we were awful too many players were ball-watching even though Southampton's football was sensational at times.
"I was really dreading the second half, but it seemed to work. We improved dramatically. I'd like to finish this message by saying good luck to Southampton for the remainder of their season. They are on the course for automatic promotion."
"We were outstanding in the first half..."
One Saints fan added: "We were outstanding in the first half. Pulled the Swans all over the place and created so much space for our attacking players. In the second half, we took our foot off the gas slightly but it was still fairly comfortable for us. The rest of this season is going to be a lot of fun for us I think."
