Jose Fonte was the unlikely goalscorer as Southampton beat Hull City 1-0 at the KC Stadium tonight to climb to eighth in the Premier League table.
The Tigers, who lost defender Paul McShane to a serious-looking injury inside the first 10 minutes, are now only three points above the relegation zone.
Shane Long headed against the post early on, while Jay Rodriguez and Jack Cork struck the woodwork for the Saints either side of Fonte smashing the ball home following a 69th-minute goalmouth scramble.
Below, Sports Mole analyses whether the result was reflective of the Humberside action.
Match statistics
Hull
Shots: 12
On target: 4
Possession: 37%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 6
Southampton
Shots: 16
On target: 7
Possession: 63%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 8
Was the result fair?
Southampton started the game very quickly and although Hull responded well to enjoy almost an even share of the first half, the visitors improved as the game went on and began dominating proceedings after the interval. They had already brought some good saves out of Steve Harper when Fonte broke the deadlock to give them a deserved lead which never really came under severe threat, despite the Tigers ending the game with three strikers on the pitch. The Saints were worthy of their victory.
Hull's performance
The Lancashire outfit had previously boasted the second tightest home defensive record in the division and today their back line and goalkeeper were excellent again. Harper shook off an early injury to make a handful of excellent stops, including two in the buildup to Fonte's opener. They were a threat from out wide, down the right through Ahmed Elmohamady in particular. It was in the centre of midfield where they lost this match, with the mobile Southampton three outnumbering and out-passing Hull's Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone, whom the game completely bypassed. Perhaps switching to 5-3-2 after McShane's withdrawal would have aided this problem and helped Hull get more of the ball. It was because of their lack of possession that Long and Nikica Jelavic were largely starved of service up front.
Southampton's performance
The Saints extended their unbeaten run to eight matches courtesy of a win which was accompanied by a pretty good display. The midfield trio of Cork, Steven Davies and Morgan Schneiderlin were relentless throughout in their pressing and this intent was also evident in their passing. All three took the opportunity to get forward and support the attackers, of which Rodriguez was the standout performer. Adam Lallana was fairly quiet but rarely does a game go by where he does not show glimpses of his international potential. Talking of which, it was Calum Chambers, and not Luke Shaw, who impressed out of their young full-backs. With Shaw pushed back by Elmohamady, his fellow academy graduate regular got forward on the opposite flank and his persistence earned them the corner which led to the goal.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Ahmed Elmohamady: The versatile former Sunderland man was moved to full-back after the injury to McShane, but that did not prevent him from getting forward on a regular basis. He was constantly carrying the ball into advanced positions on the right wing, pushing the usually-rampant Shaw backwards. His crosses often found a teammate, including when Long hit the post. He could not get forward as frequently in the second period and thus Hull's attacking threat was not as great.
Biggest gaffe
Rickie Lambert had two excellent chances in the opening seven minutes, the first of which could be categorised as a glaring miss. Cork's deflected cross fell at his feet and after he did well to control it, he should have found a gaping gap to Harper's left, but somehow bent the ball the wrong side of the post.
Referee performance
Martin Atkinson had a fairly quiet evening, handing out only three yellow cards, all of which were shown to Southampton players. His only notable involvement was correctly turning down Saints penalty appeals against Elmohamady for handball when Rodriguez lifted the ball into the Egyptian's arm.
What next?
Hull: The Tigers have a realistic chance of reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals on Monday when they visit Championship outfit Brighton & Hove Albion in the fifth round of the competition.
Southampton: Maurico Pochettino's men are also in FA Cup last-16 action as they travel to the Stadium of Light to face Capital One Cup finalists Sunderland in an all-Premier League clash on Saturday.
Joe Fish
