Southampton 1-0 Bristol City: Kyle Walker-Peters seals Saints victory
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Right-back Kyle Walker-Peters (far right) scored his second goal of the campaign with a powerful second-half strike
Kyle Walker-Peters' stunning strike was enough to give Southampton all three points against Bristol City, a result that moved Saints up to fourth in the Championship.
The right-back unleashed the curling shot into the top corner two minutes into the second half after a frustrating first 45 minutes for the hosts.
Tommy Conway had missed a golden chance to put City ahead just before the break with a one-on-one with Saints keeper Gavin Bazunu that was saved.
The win means Southampton stretch their unbeaten run to 10 games while the Robins stay in mid-table after falling to a first defeat under Liam Manning.
Saints had the better of the possession and more shots during an entertaining first half.
The hosts dominated the ball early as Kamaldeen Sulemana neatly broke into the box in a one-two with Adam Armstrong but his shot was weak and saved easily by Max O'Leary, while Stuart Armstrong saw a strike from distance initially fumbled by the Robins' keeper before he gathered it at the second attempt.
However, it was the visitors who went in at the break having been more disappointed not to score.
Conway had already seen a close-range header from a corner go over the bar, before Mark Sykes forced Bazunu into an acrobatic save.
Matty James picked out Conway running into space with a long ball over the top but his first touch was slightly too heavy as he tried to round Bazunu, which gave the keeper an opening to make the save and prevent him finding the net with the best chance of the half.
Southampton fans made their feelings known as the whistle rang out and, seemingly duly noted, the hosts came out after the restart with purpose.
Adam Armstrong ran into space to the byline and, after turning, pulled the ball back to pick out Walker-Peters, who whipped a curling strike into the top corner from 18 yards.
A goal to the good, Southampton's confidence grew as Bristol City struggled to get on the ball for large periods. Sykes was dispossessed in the box and Adam Armstrong pounced, forcing O'Leary into a save, while Carlos Alcaraz also fired wide.
City boss Manning rang the changes and twice the visitors missed late opportunities on the counter attack through Harry Cornick and Anis Mehmeti when they had a numerical advantage, as Southampton held on for a third consecutive win at St Mary's for the first time since November 2020.
Southampton manager Russell Martin told BBC Radio Solent:
"I thought we were outstanding in the second half. They've had one shot on target all game, we're playing in the Championship, they've had eight shots in the game in 90 minutes.
"We changed some stuff tactically but more aggression in the team, more energy, we were just missing that last little bit in the first half and we should score more goals.
"The last action is just missing at the moment and we will get there with that and we gave them pretty much nothing in the second half. A scary moment from our set-piece on the counter attack was it, so I'm really proud of the players.
"We changed shape a bit but it's pointless if they don't take it on board and don't approach it with real intensity and aggression, and they did."
Bristol City manager Liam Manning told BBC Radio Bristol:
"I thought we did a good job of frustrating them [in the first half], restricting them to very little in terms of chances whilst I thought we attacked really well and created three terrific chances.
"We're always going to analyse the goal and look at aspects of us that we can do better - we go from high up in terms of the top third of the pitch to the back of our net within 10-15 seconds which can't happen.
"It's a moment of real high quality that wins the game and that's the bit we just spoke about; it's the little bits, the little margins, the little details especially at this level that you have to get right if you want to win."