Southampton achieved a historic club milestone, extending their unbeaten streak to 21 games with a 3-1 triumph in Russell Martin’s inaugural return to Swansea City.
The Saints ascend to the second position in the Championship after a dominant performance against Swansea in the first half. Che Adams opened the scoring from close range just six minutes into the match, followed by Will Smallbone tapping in the second goal. Swansea managed to respond against the run of play with a Jamie Paterson header.
However, Southampton swiftly regained control when Flynn Downes’ 20-yard drive deflected into the net. Despite Swansea’s late rally, with substitutes Jerry Yates and Paterson hitting the woodwork, their inability to capitalize on these opportunities allowed Southampton to comfortably secure three points.
Southampton’s remarkable streak of 21 consecutive unbeaten matches in all competitions surpasses their previous record set since joining the Football League in 1920, which was a 20-game sequence in 1921.
This victory held special significance for Southampton manager Martin, who received a warm welcome on his first visit to Wales since departing his role as Swansea head coach to take charge at St Mary’s last June.
However, it proved to be a challenging afternoon for Luke Williams, as his team had little room for complaint following a defeat in his inaugural home league game as Swansea boss.
Martin’s initial reunion with Swansea on December 26, where the Welsh side succumbed to a 5-0 defeat after a promising start, set the stage for this encounter. Although Williams, now at the helm for Swansea, had been part of the club’s staff during Martin’s tenure in the 2021-22 season, it became evident that Southampton would once again dominate proceedings for extended periods.
Che Adams had already squandered one notable opportunity, missing wide from Ryan Manning’s cross, before he capitalized on a rebound from Carl Rushworth’s parry of Stuart Armstrong’s shot.
Despite Rushworth’s impressive double save to thwart Ryan Fraser and Adam Armstrong, Southampton secured their second goal when Stuart Armstrong, seemingly in an offside position, delivered a cross from the left, allowing the unmarked Will Smallbone to tap in from close range.
Amidst Southampton’s relentless attack, Adam Armstrong forced another save from Rushworth, yet Swansea momentarily regained traction in the game with their most effective play of the first half.
Harrison Ashby’s right-wing cross resulted in a collision between Gavin Bazunu and Jamal Lowe, the latter potentially in an offside position. This allowed Liam Cullen to loft the ball across the goal for Paterson to head home.
However, Swansea’s momentum was short-lived as Downes celebrated his 25th birthday by scoring his first goal for Southampton. Despite being a former Swansea midfielder, Downes refrained from celebrating, but Southampton had reason to smile once again.
The second half saw a more balanced contest, with Paterson coming close to securing a second goal for Swansea, and substitute Charlie Patino missing the target with a wasteful shot. Southampton also had opportunities, with Rushworth denying Adams a tap-in with a stretched hand, and Fraser lifting a shot over the bar while unmarked at the far post.
As the match approached its conclusion, Swansea produced their most promising sequence of play. Yates redirected Paterson’s cross-shot onto the post, and Bazunu, diving, pushed another Paterson attempt onto the opposite post.
Yannick Bolasie came close on two occasions, but Swansea failed to capitalize on the opportunity to make the closing minutes more intriguing.
Swansea City head coach Luke Williams:
“First half we were too deep, far too deep. Southampton could push the ball around, take their time and wait for the space and they did that brilliantly.
“Second half, the difference is we play higher up the pitch and we won the ball higher up the pitch. We were able to create chances.
“I am pleased we were able to show a better performance second half, but very disappointed with the first half.
“They are trying to force you to make errors and we fell into too many of those traps in the first half.
“Second half we hit the woodwork twice. We had very good opportunities and fluffed our lines a little bit.”
Southampton manager Russell Martin:
“It’s a nice moment [to break the record]. I’m really grateful to the players for what they’ve done, the courage they’ve shown on the back of what was a tough spell as well for us as a group. I am immensely proud.
“The way they did it in the first half – that was one of the best performances I’ve ever been involved in as coach. It was incredible.
“It’s taken a lot of hard work and they’ve really stepped up. They’ve written themselves in the history books – and let’s keep it going.
“I think it will have more significance, importance and standing if we achieve what we want to at the end of the season, otherwise it will be just something we’ve achieved together.”