Jonjo Shelvey's strike seven minutes from time has dealt Southampton's top-four hopes a real blow this afternoon, as Swansea City left St Mary's with all three points courtesy of a 1-0 victory.
It was backs-to-the-wall stuff for the visitors for large parts of the opening 45 minutes, but having come out stronger in the second half they found a way through late on to halt their poor run of form.
A fine stop from the feet of Lukasz Fabianski inside the opening six minutes denied the Saints an early lead after Steven Davis directed Nathaniel Clyne's cross from the left towards goal.
The Saints bossed the opening stages of the contest, although their opponents almost edged ahead against the run of play when Bafetimbi Gomis produced a powerful drive from the edge of the box which flew inches over the crossbar.
Garry Monk was forced into making a change with a quarter of the game gone as Marvin Emnes, one of six changes this afternoon, picked up a leg injury to see youngster Modou Barrow enter the fray.
Chances continued to fall the way of Ronald Koeman's charges, but Dusan Tadic failed to make the most of a couple of openings, the second of which saw him fire the ball over the target from close range, ensuring that the Swans kept the goalless scoreline intact going into the break.
Having started the second half in much the same way they finished off the first, it looked as though Swansea were going to be in for a long 45 minutes or so, but the Welsh outfit soon found their composure to provide some attacking intent of their own.
Fraser Forster was almost caught out by Neil Taylor with a poor clearance which landed straight at the feet of the Wales international full-back, although the opening was quickly snuffed out by a number of red and white shirts.
The game all of a sudden had a slightly different feel to it as Shelvey next came close to making a breakthrough, taking range from 25 yards with an effort that came back off the upright.
Momentum continued to swing both ways as the second half progressed, although as the contest approached its final 10 minutes neither side could wrestle the ascendency.
Yet with seven minutes remaining it was Swansea who grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, making a breakthrough courtesy of Shelvey's attempt from 25 yards out which Forster was unable to keep out.
Sadio Mane came close to grabbing an equaliser only for Ashley Williams to twice deny him on the line at the death, before a red card issued to Ryan Bertrand for a lunge on Barrow proved to signal the end of the Saints' hopes of taking anything from the game.
A first win of 2015 lifts Swansea into ninth place, while Southampton's first defeat in seven Premier League games sees them locked on points with Arsenal in the final Champions League spot.
Daniel Lewis
