Aston Villa 1-3 Southampton: Ings double helps Saints out of the bottom three

Danny Ings is only the third Saints player to score 10 goals or more in a Premier League season before Christmas

Southampton climbed out of the Premier League bottom three with a convincing win over a dismal Aston Villa at Villa Park.

The result sees the Saints move up a place to 17th in the table as they leapfrog Villa, who drop to 18th after a fourth consecutive defeat.

The visitors controlled the game from start to finish and capitalised on some shambolic defending to register their biggest win since their 3-1 victory over Wolves in April.

Danny Ings opened the scoring, tapping in from close range after Shane Long's initial effort was saved by Villa keeper Tom Heaton.

And Long could have added a second before Jack Stephens met James Ward-Prowse's corner to double Saints' lead with a towering header into the bottom right corner.

Ings punished Marvelous Nakamba's loose control to add Southampton's third after the break.

And while Jack Grealish's superb effort flew into the top right corner for the hosts to reduce the arrears it was not enough to prevent Saints from claiming their fifth win of the season.

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Villa plot their own downfall

If Villa manager Dean Smith had hoped that their Carabao Cup win over Liverpool's youthful side on Tuesday would raise morale, there was little in this performance which will have encouraged him.

Villa's struggles this term have been underpinned by two main problems, failing to capitalise on winning positions and on occasions delivering abject displays where they have been well beaten.

This was the latter.

While they conceded late goals in narrow defeats by Liverpool and Chelsea and possibly merited more than the point they collected at Manchester United, from the moment Ings put Southampton ahead, Villa looked shorn of confidence.

And all three goals were easily avoidable.

Bjorn Engels was caught out for the first with Nathan Redmond's clipped ball over the top allowing Long to outstrip him for pace.

Stephens was allowed to run towards the near post unchecked for the second and Nakamba's poor control compounded a defensive horror show for the hosts.

Line-ups Match Stats Live Text

Line-ups

Aston Villa

1Heaton

24Guilbert

22Engels

30Hause

18Targett

7McGinnSubstituted forNakambaat 8'minutes

6Douglas Luiz

14HourihaneSubstituted forKodjiaat 56'minutesBooked at 87mins

21El GhaziBooked at 67minsSubstituted forTrézéguetat 68'minutes

9Wesley

10Grealish

Substitutes

8Lansbury

11Nakamba

15Konsa

17Trézéguet

25Nyland

26Kodjia

27El Mohamady

Southampton

1McCarthy

2Cédric Soares

5Stephens

35Bednarek

21Bertrand

17ArmstrongSubstituted forRomeuat 76'minutes

16Ward-ProwseBooked at 44mins

23Højbjerg

22Redmond

7LongSubstituted forObafemiat 82'minutes

9IngsSubstituted forAdamsat 87'minutes

Substitutes

3Yoshida

4Vestergaard

10Adams

14Romeu

19Boufal

20Obafemi

28Gunn

Referee:

Craig Pawson

Attendance:

41,834

Match Stats

Home TeamAston VillaAway TeamSouthampton

Possession

Home56%

Away44%

Shots

Home19

Away17

Shots on Target

Home6

Away8

Corners

Home7

Away5

Fouls

Home16

Away15

Live Text

Posted at

Match ends, Aston Villa 1, Southampton 3.

Full TimePosted at 90'+5'

Second Half ends, Aston Villa 1, Southampton 3.

Posted at 90'+4'

Attempt saved. Jack Grealish (Aston Villa) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Jonathan Kodjia.

Posted at 90'+4'

Attempt blocked. Trézéguet (Aston Villa) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.

Posted at 90'+3'

Offside, Southampton. Alex McCarthy tries a through ball, but Che Adams is caught offside.

Posted at 90'+2'

Offside, Aston Villa. Jack Grealish tries a through ball, but Kortney Hause is caught offside.

Posted at 90'+2'

Corner, Aston Villa. Conceded by Alex McCarthy.

Posted at 90'+2'

Attempt saved. Jack Grealish (Aston Villa) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Douglas Luiz.

Posted at 88'

Attempt saved. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Nathan Redmond.

BookingPosted at 87'

Jonathan Kodjia (Aston Villa) is shown the yellow card.

Posted at 87'

Foul by Jonathan Kodjia (Aston Villa).

Posted at 87'

Jan Bednarek (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Posted at 87'

Trézéguet (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Posted at 87'

Foul by Nathan Redmond (Southampton).

SubstitutionPosted at 87'

Substitution, Southampton. Che Adams replaces Danny Ings.

Posted at 86'

Attempt missed. Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Matt Targett.

Posted at 84'

Offside, Aston Villa. Frederic Guilbert tries a through ball, but Wesley is caught offside.

Posted at 84'

Attempt missed. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Southampton) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high following a fast break.

Posted at 84'

Attempt saved. Danny Ings (Southampton) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg.

Posted at 84'

Attempt blocked. Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Jack Grealish.

Posted at 83'

Attempt blocked. Wesley (Aston Villa) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Trézéguet with a cross.

SubstitutionPosted at 82'

Substitution, Southampton. Michael Obafemi replaces Shane Long.

Posted at 82'

Offside, Southampton. Nathan Redmond tries a through ball, but Danny Ings is caught offside.

Posted at 81'

Corner, Aston Villa. Conceded by James Ward-Prowse.

Posted at 81'

Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Posted at 81'

Foul by Nathan Redmond (Southampton).

Posted at 80'

Attempt saved. Trézéguet (Aston Villa) right footed shot from long range on the left is saved in the centre of the goal.

Posted at 79'

Jack Grealish (Aston Villa) wins a free kick on the left wing.

Posted at 79'

Foul by Oriol Romeu (Southampton).

Posted at 79'

Attempt blocked. Cédric Soares (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Danny Ings.

Posted at 78'

Attempt blocked. Trézéguet (Aston Villa) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Jack Grealish.

Posted at 77'

Wesley (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

Posted at 77'

Foul by Jan Bednarek (Southampton).

SubstitutionPosted at 76'

Substitution, Southampton. Oriol Romeu replaces Stuart Armstrong.

Goal!Posted at 75'

Goal! Aston Villa 1, Southampton 3. Jack Grealish (Aston Villa) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner following a corner.

Posted at 74'

Corner, Aston Villa. Conceded by Jan Bednarek.

Posted at 74'

Corner, Aston Villa. Conceded by Cédric Soares.

Posted at 72'

Foul by Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa).

Posted at 72'

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Southampton) wins a free kick on the left wing.

Posted at 71'

Foul by Trézéguet (Aston Villa).

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goal

Source: bbc.com