Southampton are 1-0 up at home to Bristol City in the League Cup this evening.
Gaston Ramirez, recalled to the side, thumped a volley past the goalkeeper from the edge of the box and could have added to his tally before the break.
After an even start to the match, Southampton took the lead on 15 minutes with an emphatic strike from Ramirez.
James Ward-Prowse saw his shot from the edge of the box blocked, before heading the rebound to the Argentine who volleyed past the goalkeeper.
Tadanari Lee then broke the offside trap to collect Ramirez's delicate chip, but was unable to beat the onrushing goalkeeper.
The hosts started to take control of the match after that, with Lee and Ramirez threatening again. The latter fired just wide from the edge of the box before Lee forced another good save from Elliot Parish.
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas almost brought City back into it with a quick turn and shot, but Kelvin Davis was equal to it, tipping the ball wide before gathering the resulting corner.
Guly do Prado missed a couple of half-chances as the first 45 minutes came to a close, with Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino probably wandering how his side are not further ahead.
Daniel Cross
