Southampton vs Leicester City LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction
Follow all the action from St. Mary's Stadium
Carlos Alcaraz grabbed the only goal as Southampton beat Leicester City 1-0 at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday to move off the bottom of the table with their second Premier League win in three matches under new manager Ruben Selles.
The win moves Southampton up to 19th on 21 points from 25 games, ahead of Bournemouth, who were beaten by Arsenal earlier on Saturday. Leicester remain in 15th.
Southampton started strongly and their pressure told when Timothy Castagne handled the ball in the 31st minute to give away a penalty. James Ward-Prowse stepped up to take the spotkick, but his well-struck effort was saved by Danny Ward.
Carlos Alcaraz opened the scoring for the hosts in the 34th minute, calmly slotting his effort into the bottom corner past Ward after being played through by Che Adams. There was an anxious wait for a VAR check and a huge roar when the goal.
Leicester’s Kelechi Iheanacho was a nuisance throughout, but he missed a string of chances, the best of which came in the 49th minute, when he failed to hit the target with a free header from six yards out.
Brendan Rodgers brought on Jamie Vardy as the visitors pressed and probed for an equaliser in the second half and Harry Souttar rattled the crossbar with a header in added time, but Southampton held on to claim their first home win since August.
Southampton vs Leicester City
There is a long way to go in this game, but Saints will fancy their chances now of earning a win that will move them off the foot of the table and within a point of safety. Rodgers will be desperate for his team to turn it around to prevent Southampton moving within three points of the Foxes.
Southampton vs Leicester City
The referee blows the whistle for half-time, and it is Southampton who take a slender lead into the break in this battle between two relegation-threatened sides. Leicester started the game the better of the two teams, but the momentum changed when Saints were awarded a penalty for a Castagne handball. Ward made a brilliant stop to deny Ward-Prowse's spot-kick, but the miss seemed to invigorate the hosts who went ahead moments later. Adams received the ball to feet before putting Alcaraz through on goal, and the 20-year-old made no mistake with the finish as he lashed past Ward. There was a nervy wait as a lengthy VAR check examined whether Adams was offside in the build-up, but the goal was allowed and Southampton take a 1-0 lead into the interval.
Southampton vs Leicester City
Maddison is booked for dragging back Walcott after some quick feet from the former Arsenal man.
Southampton vs Leicester City
Maddison tries to play Iheanacho through on goal, but Bella Kotchap shows great pace to get to the ball first and lay it back for Bazunu to clear upfield.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments