Crystal Palace have become the first club in top-flight history to lose their opening five league games without scoring a single goal after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Southampton on Saturday afternoon.
New Palace boss Roy Hodgson was full of smiles ahead of kickoff at Selhurst Park, but an early Steven Davis goal saw Southampton pour more misery on the hosts, who remain bottom of the Premier League table on zero points.
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Hodgson made just the one change from the Palace team that started last weekend's defeat at Burnley, with fit-again Ruben Loftus-Cheek replacing Chung-Yong Lee.
Meanwhile, Southampton's side showed four changes from the one that started against Watford last weekend. Dusan Tadic, Shane Long, Maya Yoshida and Mario Lemina all came into the first XI, with James-Ward Prowse, Jack Stephens, Manolo Gabbiadini and Sofiane Boufal dropping to a bench which also included Virgil van Dijk.
Palace were bright in the opening moments, but it was Southampton that made the breakthrough in the sixth minute when Davis found the bottom corner with a considered finish from inside the box.
Tadic's pace proved too much for Jeffrey Schlupp down the right, and when the Serbian's cross was pushed into his own box by Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, Davis was on hand to sent the visitors ahead.
Long had a half-chance to make it 2-0 in the 13th minute after meeting a deep cross from the impressive Tadic, but the striker's header was always moving wide of the post.
Palace had a golden opportunity of their own in the 16th minute when Christian Benteke met a low cross from Loftus-Cheek, but Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster was on hand to make a smart save.
Hennessey had to keep out a powerful Redmond strike in the 22nd minute as Southampton continued to threaten, before Loftus-Cheek sent one just wide of the post down the other end after a smart link-up with Benteke.
Palace continued to huff and puff in the final third as the first period approached its latter stages - with Townsend firing wide in the 45th minute - but Southampton were fairly comfortable at the back as Mauricio Pellegrino's side entered the half-time break with a one-goal lead.
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Palace had two good chances to level in the early stages of the second period, but there were no takers on a brilliant cross from Loftus-Cheek, before Southampton goalkeeper Forster kept out a close-range effort from Puncheon.
The visitors had a couple of half-chances of their own in the 56th minute, but Long could not grow to reach a cross from Cedric Soares, before Redmond had a goal-bound strike blocked during an end-to-end period of the match.
Benteke was next to threaten for Palace, but the Belgian headed harmlessly wide just before the hour mark.
Southampton dropped extremely deep as the match headed for its final 15 minutes, and chances were few and far between as Palace consistently failed to find that elusive pass in the final third of the field.
Joel Ward headed into the arms of Forster in the 78th minute as Palace continued to commit players forward, before Hodgson introduced Bakary Sako for Loftus-Cheek, which was a change that did not go down well with the Palace supporters.
Van Dijk was seen in a Southampton shirt for the first time since January as Pellegrino introduced the centre-back in the 87th minute, and the visitors closed out the final stages to record their second Premier League win of the campaign.
Next up for Palace is an EFL Cup clash against Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night, before travelling to Manchester City in the Premier League next Saturday. Southampton, meanwhile, will host Manchester United in the league on the same afternoon.
Matt Law
