Swansea City 2-1 Southampton

Sigurdsson carried much of Swansea's threat on the night

Swansea boosted their Premier League survival hopes and secured back-to-back wins for the first time this season with a spirited victory over Southampton.

The Welsh side started slowly at the Liberty Stadium but grew into the first half and led when Alfie Mawson headed in Gylfi Sigurdsson's corner via a deflection off Oriol Romeu.

Recently installed manager Paul Clement threw his arms into the air and his side looked to have seized control but a slick Saints passing move after the break saw Shane Long prod in Ryan Bertrand's low cross.

Long's finish was just Southampton's fourth touch inside the area but although they then seized the momentum, the impressive Sigurdsson struck when Luciano Narsingh - coming off the bench for his debut - crossed on the counter-attack.

• Taylor leaves as Swans sign Ayew

• Relive Tuesday night's football

Saints rallied late on with Sofiane Boufal seeing a shot blocked and Maya Yoshida heading wide, but Claude Puel's EFL Cup finalists have now lost five of their past six Premier League games.

They drop to 12th, while Swansea stay 17th after a timely win on a night where relegation rivals Crystal Palace also picked up three points.

Thank goodness for Gylfi

"Performance was so-so, the result massive," said Clement, who turned towards fans and clenched both fists on the sound of the final whistle.

The club's major shareholders Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan were in the stadium and their decision to appoint the ex-Derby manager appears to be paying dividends.

This was a second win in three league games - to the delight of home fans, who faced the prospect of seeing the club suffer four consecutive home defeats for the first time in the top flight.

While the neat, intricate passing style that once defined Swansea in the Premier League was lacking, there was bite in midfield and resilience when called for.

Leroy Fer and Jack Cork offered aggression, while Mawson was solid at the back, not least when he bravely blocked Boufal's late shot in the area.

But there is no doubting the class act in Swansea's ranks. Sigurdsson made the opener, had a long-range effort held by Fraser Forster and a good drive tipped over before the break.

When his moment arrived, he coolly steered in the ball as new boy Narsingh showed rapid pace to lead a break and deliver a cross.

News of forward Jordan Ayew joining from Aston Villa, who will take Swans defender Neil Taylor in return, will offer further attacking options.

But new recruits will need to go some way to become more important than Sigurdsson. He has now either scored or created half of Swansea's goals this season and Clement will be desperate for more of the same.

Kudos for Clement and Gylfi

Alfie Mawson's header deflected off Oriol Romeu to give Swansea the lead

Former England winger Trevor Sinclair on Match of the Day: "I think Paul Clement has learnt from his mistakes when he was at Derby. He seems to have got the chemistry right and it is showing in Swansea's performances."

Former Tottenham midfielder Danny Murphy: "I am surprised Tottenham let Sigurdsson go. He loves scoring goals; he is technically superb. Without him they would be in a world of trouble."

Patched-up Saints need reinforcements

Shane Long brought Saints level but Lukasz Fabianski was forced to make just one other save on the night

Poor league form, excellent EFL Cup form - Southampton pose questions for Puel, who admitted his side did not do enough in the first half to merit more on the night.

Long was wayward when sent racing into the area early on but their first-half highlights ended there, as they seemed to play in flurries throughout the 90 minutes - a trait that has run through much of their season.

Before kick-off, no Premier League side had more players injured than Saints, a predicament that had seen Puel rest 10 players in the 5-0 FA Cup loss against Arsenal at the weekend.

But there were still positives for his patched-up side. Romeu was destructive and classy in midfield - completing 92% of his passes - and Long's goal arrived from a fine move as Steven Davis slipped Bertrand clear to pick out a cross.

Nathan Redmond fired wide when well placed and saw Lukasz Fabianski tip another shot over - but two shots on target from 10 efforts perhaps shows why Puel has signed Manolo Gabbiadini from Napoli.

Saints have scored only 23 league goals all season, so the £14m signing could be a huge help, as would the return of several players from the treatment room.

Man of the match - Gylfi Sigurdsson

Sigurdsson had six shots and was the focus of Swansea's good attacking play as he created their first with an excellent corner and scored their second with a controlled finish

'A massive win' - what the managers said

Swansea boss Paul Clement: "A massive result for us - to back the great away win at Liverpool with a home win in a really hard game. They peppered our box with crosses. We showed big character. Our second goal was fantastic, a great counter. We have done more than I expected. Since the heavy loss to Arsenal we have taken one or two really important games."

Southampton boss Claude Puel: "A good second half but perhaps it was too late. We cannot take a positive when you lose a game. It was not sufficient for us in the same half without a good concentration and application of our football. The second half was a good reaction, a good try, but they played clinically tonight and have been rewarded."

Clean sheets lacking - the stats you need to know...

• Gylfi Sigurdsson has been involved in 14 Premier League goals this season (seven goals, seven assists) equalling his tally for last season.

• The Swans have only kept one clean sheet in their past 14 Premier League games, conceding 37 goals.

• Southampton have kept just one clean sheet in their past eight away Premier League games.

Up next?

Swansea host Manchester City for a lunchtime kick-off on Sunday, while Southampton entertain West Ham on Saturday (15:00 GMT).