ten men Southampton held on to earn all three points – and perhaps just as crucially, bragging rights – in the south coast derby with fierce Championship rivals Portsmouth.
At St Mary’s Stadium, unsurprisingly, James Bree scored what turned out to be the only goal of the game in the 20th minute, finishing well after being impressively picked out by Finn Azaz.
The Saints’ task was further complicated when Cameron Bragg was dismissed for a second yellow at half-time.
After the break, Portsmouth, with a man advantage, pushed for an equaliser, but as tempers began to rise as the clock ticked towards full-time, the visitors were unable to break down their hosts.
It was the first league win for either side in this fixture for 21 years, and a first league win for Southampton in the derby for 22 years.
Eckert: Spygate scandal ‘changed my life’
The result comes at the end of a week when Southampton boss Tonda Eckert admitted the club’s Spygate scandal “changed my life”.
The 33-year-old was handed a suspended six-week ban on Wednesday following his involvement in the Saints secretly filming a Middlesbrough training session towards the end of last season.
However, he avoided an immediate touchline ban and was able to be in the dugout when they defeated bitter rivals Pompey.
With the win, Southampton, who maintain their perfect league record at home this season, move up to 11th in the second tier, while Portsmouth remain in 19th.
