Southampton

2-1

Leeds Utd

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Richard Jolly reports

The fall and fall of Leeds United continues as defeat at the hands of a Southampton side managed by one of their greatest ever players leaves them rock bottom of the Premiership.

Brett Ormerod and Kevin Phillips earned Southampton their first win of Gordon Strachan's long goodbye though Leeds, on the back foot for 70 minutes, were within inches of snatching a point.

Fist Matthew Kilgallon headed his first career goal from Ian Harte's cross. Then the offside Alan Smith rattled the bar and finally, agonisingly, Michael Svensson stumbled and kneed James Milner's low cross on to his own post.

But Southampton survived for a first win in six; Leeds do not have a monopoly on winless runs and, though the visitors' need was greater, Saints' victory should help ensure Strachan does not leave the Premiership before the club he graced for six years.

Strachan left his top scorer James Beattie on the bench but any suggestion it was an act of charity towards his beleaguered former club was swiftly quashed. Southampton's new strike partnership combined well and contributed first-half goals while Leeds' latest centre back duo played like strangers and were culpable in both strikes.

The tumbling Kilgallon was turned by Ormerod who then slotted home his sixth of the season for Saints' 36th-minute opener. The architect, however, was David Prutton with a driving run from his own box and a defence-splitting pass.

Then an inexplicable lack of control from Zoumana Camara gave Phillips a clear run on goal, just what a striker without a goal in 13 Premiership games needed.

He gave Southampton a 2-0 lead on the stroke of half-time. They could have been two up in 20 minutes as Leeds struggled to deal with the home side's aerial ability. Fitz Hall headed a Rory Delap throw on to the bar and Danny Higginbotham, another looking for his first Saints goal, headed a Jason Dodd corner wide.

Anders Svensson, whose Saints renaissance continued, was then denied by the flying Paul Robinson. It was not all one-way traffic, however, and Southampton were grateful for Antti Niemi's imposing presence as he spread himself to deny Jermaine Pennant from eight yards. The creator was James Milner, who tormented Jason Dodd all game in a victory for youth over experience.

But after the two goals, Southampton seemed set for a rout as both Ormerod and Phillips spurned chances to double their tallies. Both were inches wide, Phillips curling his shot past Robinson and his post and Ormerod blasting a volley into the side-netting while Kilgallon, improving as the game went on, cleared Delap's header off his own line.

The 20-year-old turned up in the other box to give Leeds hope which, in their current predicament, may be all they have.
 

	Southampton	Leeds United
Goals	2	1
Shots on target	3	5
Shots off target	13	5
Blocked shots	3	2
Corners	1	6
Fouls	16	8
Offsides	0	3
Yellow cards	1	1
Red cards	0	0