Jay Rodriguez's solo effort was enough for Southampton to win 1-0 at Crystal Palace and continue their unbeaten Premier League record against the Eagles.
The England forward intercepted Jason Puncheon's weak header to run through on goal, win a 50-50 with Julian Speroni and then drag the ball into the net on 37 minutes.
His goal ends Southampton's run of three straight defeats in all competitions, but the Saints remain ninth in the table, while Palace are still firmly in the relegation battle, only three points above safety.
Below, Sports Mole analyses whether the result was reflective of the action at Selhurst Park.
Match statistics
Palace:
Shots: 6
On target: 1
Possession: 36%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 14
Southampton
Shots: 11
On target: 3
Possession: 64%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 13
Was the result fair?
The Saints put in a good away display today and were deserving winners. All of the better moments going forward came from the visitors, particularly match-winner Rodriguez, and although Palace came out and had a go in the opening stages of the second half, Artur Boruc had only one save to make.
Palace's performance
There was a distinct lack of creativity in the midfield, with the returning Glenn Murray feeding off scraps. With Southampton playing out from the back and Murray a lone striker, all of his energy, which was minimal considering his recent return from a long injury layoff, was put into chasing the ball down. Despite matching them three for three in midfield, Palace really struggled to get hold of possession, so Pulis reverted to pumping the ball in the box late on. However, this approach proved no more effective against solid Saints defending. They remained fairly solid at the back, but their forward players will need to improve if they are to guarantee their top-flight status.
Southampton's performance
Manager Mauricio Pochettino will be pretty pleased with how his side combated what he described as a "physical" Palace side. They did not allow this to become a war of attrition and often slowed the play down to allow their superior passing game to prevail. They did this particularly well to halt the Eagles' momentum when they began the second half in very positive fashion. Southampton's usually-rampant full-backs of Luke Shaw and Nathaniel Clyne, preferred to Calum Chambers, were unusually reserved, but this seemed to be a tactical decision to prevent Palace's wingers, their most creative players, from getting in behind. One blow to Pochettino will be the injury to Jack Cork, who has been excellent during a long run in the team.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Jay Rodriguez:
Anticipation, pace, bravery and composure, Rodriguez showed a lot of admirable attributes in scoring the goal which proved to be the difference between the sides. He was always a willing runner into the channels and his directness is an option that England manager Roy Hodgson should seriously consider.
Biggest gaffe
Puncheon did his former team a favour with a tame back header towards Dean Moxey, which Rodriguez went on to fully capitalise on. It was not a good day for the winger, who had little impact going forward.
Referee performance
Howard Webb sensibly erred on the side of caution when twice the home fans felt that Southampton should have been reduced to 10 men. Both Dejan Lovren and Morgan Schneiderlin could have been sent off on another day, but Webb was perfectly positioned to correctly adjudge both offences as bookings.
What next?
Palace: The Eagles travel to the Stadium of Light to face relegation rivals Sunderland, whose manager Gus Poyet has described the match as the biggest of the Capital One Cup finalists' season.
Southampton: Pochettino's men will also have a say in the battle to stay in the Premier League next week as they entertain 15th-place Norwich City at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Joe Fish
