Southampton's five-game run survives Swansea's late show

The interval appeared to have given Russell Martin the talking points he needed. Southampton emerged with purpose and intent, and within 12 minutes they'd levelled. Charles swept home from Scienza's delivery, and suddenly the momentum had shifted entirely. Swansea's initial control evaporated. The passes became sloppier, the positioning more frantic, the belief visibly draining away. Southampton pressed their advantage relentlessly, dominating possession (56% to 44%) and territory. By the time the final whistle approached, the visitors had 12 corners to Swansea's four, a telling statistic that showed who was truly in command.

Charles swept home from Scienza's delivery, and suddenly the momentum had shifted entirely. Swansea's initial control evaporated. The passes became sloppier, the positioning more frantic, the belief visibly draining away. Southampton pressed their advantage relentlessly, dominating possession (56% to 44%) and territory. By the time the final whistle approached, the visitors had 12 corners to Swansea's four, a telling statistic that showed who was truly in command. Archer, who'd been introduced late from the bench, finished the job in the 90th minute with a cool finish from Jander's assist.

Archer, who'd been introduced late from the bench, finished the job in the 90th minute with a cool finish from Jander's assist. By then it felt inevitable. Southampton had mustered 16 total shots to Swansea's ten, and whilst the underlying expected goals favoured the hosts slightly (1.08 to 0.92), that metric can't capture the narrative of a match where one team was utterly dominant for 45 minutes then picked apart. This wasn't pretty from either side. Oliver Langford's whistle went early in places, late in others, and the booking parade in the first 25 minutes (four yellows across both teams) set an edgy tone that never quite lifted.

The substitutions told a story too. Swansea made six changes by the 73rd minute, some forced by injury or tactical necessity, others born of desperation as they chased a result that never came. Southampton, meanwhile, could afford the luxury of freshening legs with time to run down the clock. That gap on the pitch reflected the gap in the league table: 15 points separating these two sides, and over 90 minutes, you saw why Saints belong higher up and Swansea are still hunting for consistency.

This extends Southampton's run to six wins in seven outings, a streak that looks increasingly like genuine promotion credentials. Swansea, meanwhile, limp away with just one win in their last five. They created enough in that first half to believe they could take something from this fixture, but the Premier League-calibre ruthlessness of Southampton's second-half response exposed the gulf between a team chasing promotion and one trapped in mid-table struggle.