Saints looked accomplished in what became an easy victory, however Saints being Saints, they had to have another defensive lapse in there somewhere.

Nigel Adkins made the changes I predicted in the preview on Friday, however the only difference was that Gaston ramirez was used in the hole behind the lone striker Rickie Lambert rather than out wide as a winger as we were lead to believe he was, Adam Lallana staying out on the far wide left berth.

The biggest surprise though was thatKelvin Davis was dropped for Gazzaniga, although it has to be said Saints looked a lot better for it.

A good strong first half performance was ruined by another lapse in concentration ten minutes before the break, Darren Bent seemingly harmlessly heading the ball across goal but when it was knocked back he was left alone to guide the ball past Gazzaniga, Danny Fox seemed to thing his run should be covered by a central defender whilst they hadnt noticed Bent at all, either way it was a soft goal to concede and in truth Fox should have taken control.

After the break Saints made a change with Fox off and Clyne switching to left back, this had the advantage in that Clyne was able to get forward and keep cutting inside and this caused Villa problems.

Villa threatened little in the second half but the one chance they did have almost threatened to put the game beyond Saints reach before they had a chance to claw it back, Gazzaniga getting everything right as heblocked Bent's shot, from the subsequent corner a free header went very close, but although we didnt know it then, Villa were finished as an attacking threat.

On 58 minutes came the goal we wanted and Rickie Lambert held up the ball well and got in a shooting position and hit a firm shot, the keeper got a hand to it but it was too hard to keep out, now Saints were back in the game and on top, five minutes later Saints were in front Clyne was played in and he finished well under pressure from a defender and advancing keeper.

Now Saints were passing well and looked good, Steve Davis in midfield is one of those players that are considered the engine of a side and he buzzed around in midfield, he wasnt demonstrating all the deft flicks etc that Ramirez was starting to pull out of his locker, but it was Davis hard work that meant that Saints got the ball and were able to give it to the likes of Lallana and Ramirez, on 72 minutes aints got a third and were a tad lucky in that Puncheon had done everything right,  but his shot would have hit the corner flag if it hadnt deflected off Clark.

Saints closed out the game well and the performance was capped by an injury time penalty that helps greatly towards the goal difference.

There were many plus points in the game, perhaps the most important though was at the back, Yoshida looked the leader we need and clearly he gelled well with Fonte who looked as comfortable as he has done probably since the end of our promotion season from league 1, Yoshida suited his style in a way that Hooiveld never did and it was very noticable.

Ramirez was excellent and the more the game went on the classier he looked, however another central midfield player doesnt help our problem with dealing with pace on the flanks, Villa offered little in this department and it enabled Saints to dominate, but it has to be said that it wont be the same most weeks, at times our wide players were roaming out of position and it left gaps that on another day could be exploited.

But overall it was good to get the first win on the board and it should give us confidence for the rest of the season, it is good to get out of the bottom three, although it could be only for less than 24 hours.          

Photo: Action Images

tiptop added 10:12 - Sep 23 Gazzaniga did freshen things up. The change added greater purpose and as you have said Nic if you keep doing the same things you will get the same results.Brave and correct decision NA. It was noticable he had been instructed not to roll the ball out. He did it once. His kicking was accurate though and it has to be said we retained a lot of the ball through RL. The new goaly we've signed will prob see KD pushed further down the pecking order. Agree about Yoshida and Fonte. They look a good pairing already. Clyne's stock is rising all the time and his ability to semelessly slot in at LB was a credit to him. More to the point Fox was off the pitch. Was it Fox's injury or poor play or a combination of both that got him hauled off? We were better for it. I think as good as Puncheon is playing he still doesnt beat his man and get crosses in. He is a bit cumbersome at worst and a goal threat on his day. But lacks pace and and penetration for me. Ramirez has the extra class and the central role was the right choice too by NA imo. Get him on the ball and he can be a massive influence for us. Maybe as much as RL, who just loves proving the doubter wrong. Legend

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SingaporeSaint added 10:29 - Sep 23 A very good write up and a very big win for us and NA. Gazzinga looked big and solid in goal - his ability to come off his line and claim the ball was in such contrast to recent weeks. The shape also is much better with a 4-4-1-1 and more support to Lambert. The half time sub was much needed too as Richardson gave a solid display and Clyne dominated left back, Yoshida's reading of the game meant more calm and less panic. We suddenly looked a unit at the back in the second half for the first time this season. Fox was very poor for the goal and it could have cost us. I'm much happier with Richardson and Clyne at fullbacks. Just seen the full game again - passing was very good in the second half. For me MS was MOM - he dominated the midfield and kept us ticking and allowed Lallana and Ramirez to play. I am not convinced on Puncheon as a regular at this level but was impressed with Mayuka on the right with the occassional switch into playing off RL, there is potential there. Should also be said that I dont think Villa are great and rather let us play, we have a far bigger test next week - but we showed if we get it right we can compete and made it a brilliant night in Singapore! Oh - Saints fans were loud and clear on the global TV feed - great effort..

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felly1 added 12:19 - Sep 23 Its absolutely brilliant to see Rickie Lambert scoring goals and creating chances against the elite clubs of the premier league. A top class centre forward who is now getting proper recognition. The same applies to Adam Lallana , Im sure like many who come on here they remember his first full season under the Double Dutch Duo and although he struggled at times in a poor inexperienced side, we were treated to occasional glimpses of the trickery and silky skills that have now been harnessed to a stronger fitter body and mind of a man at the top of his game. Along with Ramirez and Puncheon who both had really good games yesterday. Going by the season so far it's fair to say we will be in for an exciting and bumpy ride! Also I have to say we have a great full back in Clyne, he is so quick and showed his ability by looking like the best left back we have had since Bridgy.

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rjh added 13:06 - Sep 23 Excellent result, just a shame we have another really difficult match where I fear we will struggle to get anything. The fixtures really have been unkind to us.
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richardmdcooper added 17:47 - Sep 23 Good performances all round and the new signings look decent. Great to hear a rousing chant of "one nigel adkins" as well
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moran89thmin added 17:58 - Sep 23 Yea I bet Nige has bought all the papers today....
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simmo400 added 19:02 - Sep 23 Danny Fox going off changed the game for us. Clyne was excellent at left back and should stay there with Richardson playing right back we had options everywhere to open them up. Same at the back for Everton please Nigel.
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thingummy added 20:37 - Sep 23 Wasnt that just a great afternoon..... in the end Horrible 1st half - we looked nervous and a couple of players were having a go at each other. Amazing the impact of that 1st goal - made and scored in Southampton. Lallana chases hjis own pass, hoofs it in the middle ...... to teh goal machne. As soon as it dropped onto his right foot it was in. Once they missed the free-kick with ten minutes to go it was almost relaxing. Gaston was great - knocking bent out of the way was just funny The penalty was a nice bonus. THe club has a good togethness about it .....

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bstokesaint added 20:42 - Sep 23 So glad for NA to get the support he deserved yesterday from so many fans. Seen and heard comments from some doubting the manager which is really disappointing. If a manager gets you back-to-back promotions he deserves his chance and the backing from everyone at the club. Very encouraging to hear so many different people highlight top performances from so many different players too. It shows it was a real team performance. Can't help but feel sorry for Kelvin because we'd still have won with him playing, but personally wouldn't change a winning team (post 1st half changes) for the trip to Goodison. This is a game where a point would be a great result. At least some of the pressure is off a bit now.

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BoondockSaint added 22:51 - Sep 23 Finally a win! I'm not suprised at the change in goal. Confusion in the back-you know you're defending badly when Darren Bent scores on you! We definitely need a coach just for the defenders, although Yoshida looks like he's taken on the job. Keep Mayuka he's big fast and knows what he's doing with the ball-and get rid of Punch-Drunk! Yeah, he caused the OG, but that was because he was doing his usual: Pass to a player on the other team. Rather than Lallana who was screaming for the ball all alone, but just like Rickie at the far post in the ManU game he won't pass to his own team mate in scoring position. Unfortunately for Villa, the defender couldn't handle the pass and in went in his own goal! Hopefully the defense settles down for next week. Onward and Upward!

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Chappers added 00:14 - Sep 24 A great write up Nick, but why are you surprised that Kelvin was dropped? against Arsenal he was quite clearly at fault for 3 goals & against Man U he put us at risk 3 times with his distribution, great respect to the man for what he's done in the lower leagues, but he's not good enough for the Premiership & never was. Nige has put a lot of faith in him, but has obviously realised that we need someone better, hence dropping him against Villa & then signing another Keeper. Gazzaniga did well yestereday, but to be fair, only really had one threataning save to make, I'd like to see him tested against a decent team before making judgement on him, but clearly, Nige has spotted KD as a weakness, as have I & a few others on here, just really surpirsed that you havent.

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darkangelv2 added 10:47 - Sep 24 I'm a bit surprised about the number of posts being critical of Puncheon. I think his performances have been generally excellent and work rate is refreshing compared to the now out-of-favour Guly. Yes, he was completely at fault for a sloppy pass that set up Villa's goal but the positives out-weighed the negatives for me. His United performance was even more impressive. Echo the above comments about Fox. His halftime injury (i'm assuming this was the reason for him coming off) was a blessing and showed what a difference having a real defender at both full-back positions can do. Both looked composed in defence. In addition, Clyne looked crazy dangerous going forward and Richardson is a very capable crosser and will support his winger. Thought Yoshi and Fonte had a good game and both fought valiantly against massive opponents. As poor as Villa were, they get some width, Bent and Benteke will put goals in against better defences than ours this season. Finally, the epic trio: Lallana, Lambert and Ramirez. We've gone 3 seasons with Adam and Rickie looking like they're on the same wave length - i'm so pleased it looks as though we now have 3. Now, the tough test at Everton.....

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