Southampton beat Swansea 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday as Rickie Lambert’s stoppage time strike sealed all three points for Saints.
Coming into the match Swansea were safe from relegation and Southampton could finish now higher than eighth place so predictably both sides felt their way into the match. Early on Swansea had two great chances to scores as Pablo Hernandez and Wilfried Bony came close but both missed. At the other end Southampton’s teenage striker Sam Gallagher headed over from close range as the away side pushed to go ahead.
Late on Saints pressed for the winner and substitute Lambert was in the right place at the right time to hand Saints their best-ever points tally in the Premier League. With the win they remain eighth with 55 points from 37 games, while Swansea are 13th on 39 points.
MORE: Latest Premier League standings
Early on Swansea started superbly as Jonjo Shelvey dispossessed Steven Davis on the edge of his own box in the fifth minute but Hernandez saw his shot well saved by Artur Bourc and then Bony glanced a header just wide as the Swans were in the ascendancy.
Saints woke up after that slow start and teenage striker Gallagher was proving a handful up front. In the 33rd minute he should have put Southampton ahead as the energetic Nathaniel Clyne surged down the right flank and found Gallagher unmarked but he headed over the bar from six-yards out. That sparked Swansea into life as Bony was then played in moments later but blasted his effort over the bar with both teams pressing for the opener before the break.
In the second half Swansea tried to get hold of the ball but Saints kept pouring forward down the flanks and a surging run from Luke Shaw saw the England international pull the ball back for Adam Lallana but a last-ditch bloke thwarted Saints’ skipper from giving his side the lead. It all got a bit scrappy after that as meaty challenges flew in as both teams were safe of relegation and seemed happy to spray the ball around.
Rickie Lambert replaced Lallana for the final 30 minutes as Saints went to two up front in order to try and bag a late win away at the Liberty. Morgan Schneiderlin drilled a low left-footed shot towards goal but Michel Vorm saved easily as the two teams battled it out in the sun in South Wales.
The game looked to be petering out but in stoppage time a chipped ball from Steven Davis saw Ashley Williams try to clear the ball but it hooked it over his own ‘keeper and Rickie Lambert was stood on the line to shoulder the ball into the net.
LINEUPS
Swansea City: Vorm, Tiendalli (Taylor, 77′), Amat, Williams, Davies, Britton, Shelvey, de Guzman (Dyer, 65′), Hernandez (Emnes, 77′), Routledge, Bony. Subs: Tremmel, Taylor, Bartley, Fulton, Dyer, Emnes, Vazquez.
Southampton: Boruc, Clyne, Fonte, Lovren, Shaw, Wanyama, Cork (Reed, 86′), Schneiderlin, Davis, Lallana (Lambert, 61′), Gallagher (Ward-Prowse, 78′)
Goal: Lambert (90′)
