Swansea City vs Southampton. Sky Bet Championship.
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Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Swansea City and Southampton at St Mary's on Saturday | Che Adams, Will Smallbone and Flynn Downes score in record-breaking Saints win
Saturday 20 January 2024 17:39, UK
Southampton broke a 103-year-old club record by going 21 games unbeaten as Russell Martin celebrated his return to Swansea with a 3-1 success.
Che Adams, Will Smallbone and birthday boy Flynn Downes scored first-half goals as the Saints secured a Sky Bet Championship victory that should have been by a far greater margin.
Jamie Paterson gave Swansea brief hope in cutting the deficit to 2-1, but this was a sobering defeat for the hosts - their first in four games since losing at Southampton on Boxing Day.
Southampton have now eclipsed their best unbeaten run in all competitions since joining the Football League in 1920. They are 20 league games unbeaten, and 21 unbeaten in all competitions.
A sixth win in seven league games moves Southampton into second place, above Ipswich on goal difference before they meet Championship leaders Leicester on Monday.
Martin was given a warm welcome by Swansea fans on his return to the club he managed for two years and left last June.
Luke Williams, who worked as Martin's assistant at MK Dons and Swansea, was in charge in the home dugout for the first time in the league.
Williams had started his reign with an FA Cup victory over Morecambe and a Championship draw at Birmingham, but this was a far tougher proposition against visitors unbeaten since September 23.
Southampton thrashed Swansea 5-0 at St Mary's and could have matched that total inside the opening half-hour.
Adams volleyed an inviting opportunity wide before Carl Rushworth pushed Stuart Armstrong's sixth-minute shot into the Scotland striker's path for his ninth goal of the season.
Rushworth was the busiest man in Swansea, with several stops including a fantastic double save to deny Ryan Fraser and Adam Armstrong.
Swansea's defence was breached again after 20 minutes, although there was more than a hint of offside about it.
Stuart Armstrong seemed well beyond the last home defender, but he was allowed to continue and his cross was converted by Smallbone from inside the six-yard box.
Josh Tymon had Swansea's first effort, looping over from 20 yards, but Rushworth kept them in the contest by kicking away Adam Armstrong's angled attempt at a post.
Southampton's share of possession was over 80 per cent at times, but Swansea scored out of nowhere four minutes before the break.
Harrison Ashby's cross ended in a collision between Saints goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu and Jamal Lowe.
The Swansea striker had possibly been offside, but the ball ran kindly to Liam Cullen and his centre was nodded home by Paterson.
Southampton restored their two-goal advantage on the stroke of half-time as former Swansea midfielder Downes fired home from 20 yards with the aid of a deflection.
Downes was celebrating his 25th birthday, but did not salute his first Saints goal out of respect for his former club.
The second period was a far quieter affair until Paterson struck the Saints woodwork twice in as many minutes.
Bazunu also thwarted substitute Yannick Bolasie from close range as Swansea finished strongly, but without success.
Swansea's Luke Williams:
"First half we were too deep, far too deep. Southampton could push the ball around, take their time and wait for the space and they did that brilliantly.
"Second half, the difference is we play higher up the pitch and we were able to create chances.
"If it was something that was a really quick fix, everyone would be doing it. it's not going to be that easy.
"I need to try to get the message across to the players in a clinical way because we are not blessed with time at the moment."
Southampton's Russell Martin:
"It is a nice moment. I'm really grateful to the players for what they've done, the courage they've shown. I'm immensely proud.
"The way they did it in the first half, one of the best performances I've ever been involved in as coach.
"It's taken a lot of hard work and they've really stepped up. They've written themselves in to the history books - and let's keep it going.
"It will have more significance, importance and standing if we achieve what we want at the end of the season, otherwise it will be just something we've achieved together."
