Ryan Fraser had a hand in three goals as Southampton swatted aside League Two Walsall in the FA Cup with a professional 4-0 victory.

Winger Fraser produced two fine finishes and set up Sekou Mara as Saints eased to a 19th match unbeaten – one off a club record 20 games without a loss in all competitions.

Che Adams jumped off the bench to slide in a fourth to confirm Southampton’s progress to the fourth round and avoid a copy of last year’s exit to fourth-tier opposition.

Saints grabbed the lead in the sixth minute through Fraser and it felt like Walsall were in for a battering.

Newcastle loanee Fraser’s run off the left flank was spotted by centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis and the former Bournemouth man fired in.

Mara headed a free header over from teenage debutant Jayden Meghoma’s cross before Carlos Alcaraz and Sam Amo-Ameyaw tried their luck from range without accuracy.

The barrage on the Saddlers’ goal continued as French striker Mara blazed over from six yards when presented with an open goal.

But Walsall weathered that storm and found chances of their own.

Tom Knowles out-thought Meghoma before lashing wide and Isaac Hutchinson tested Joe Lumley from the edge of the area, although a pass to Douglas James-Taylor on the overlap might have been a better option.

Will Smallbone should have hit the target when teed up by Fraser while Walsall keeper Jackson Smith recovered just before Mara tapped in after he had parried Alcaraz’s piledriver.

The Saddlers came out for the second half with renewed confidence having kept their Championship promotion rivals to just one and twice caught out the lackadaisical hosts.

Knowles picked up Mason Holgate’s wayward throw-in but he smashed over on the angle before Holgate’s loose pass was nicked by Jack Earing but he curled a one-on-one wide.

They were made to rue those misses when Mara made it 2-0 to calm any fears of last season’s exit to Grimsby.

The France Under-21 international swivelled and found the roof of the net after fine wing play from Fraser in the 58th minute for his fourth goal since arriving at the beginning of last season.

Fraser killed off any chance of an upset in the 68th minute when he brilliantly slotted into the bottom corner after being slid through by Alcaraz.

James-Taylor arrowed a shot towards the bottom corner but Lumley prevented the start of a comeback before Adams made it four.

The striker showed strength after being laid on by Alcaraz before displaying his finishing ability to slot past Smith.

Fraser almost completed a hat-trick in stoppage time but Smith blocked his drilled shot.

Russell Martin was left to reflect on what might have been as his Southampton side had to be content with a 1-1 draw in their Championship clash against Norwich at Carrow Road.

The point stretched the Saints’ unbeaten run to 18 matches but with 75 per cent of possession, they were left frustrated after the match as Canaries substitute Josh Sargent’s late goal ensured honours ended even.

“I am really proud of our performance today, even though we have only taken a point,” said Saints boss Martin. “We should certainly have won the game, I don’t think anyone would argue with that. I thought we played really well, there was a good flow to our play. I certainly enjoyed watching my team out there.

“We controlled the game, we played it around really well and I thought our goal was a really good move. We created other good chances and it was frustrating that we didn’t make the most of them. When we did get some on target, Angus Gunn make some good saves.

“I was surprised with the way Norwich set up if I am being honest. This is as quiet as I have known this place and I have played plenty of games here so feel frustrated, but at the same time very proud of the players.”

Martin is sweating on the fitness of Samuel Edozie, who was substituted midway through the first half after being caught late by Jack Stacey.

“That was a naughty challenge, a red card challenge in my opinion,” he said. “If we had had VAR here I think he would have gone, but having said that you never really know with VAR, do you?”

Southampton dominated the match for long periods but had to wait until the 70th minute to get their noses in front.

The excellent Kyle Walker-Peters was the architect as he made it to the byline before delivering a low cross which deflected off Grant Hanley into the path of Adam Armstrong, who had the simple task of volleying home from close range.

The goal was no more than the Saints deserved and they looked well set to take all three points – but Norwich had other ideas and got themselves back on level terms from a rare attack eight minutes later.

A fine move through the middle involving Gabriel Sara and Jon Rowe ended with Sargent slipping the ball past Gavin Bazunu.

It was a sweet moment for the American, who had only been on the pitch for 12 minutes and was playing at Carrow Road for the first time since picking up a nasty ankle injury in August.

“It gives everyone here a big boost to see Josh back on the pitch, he’s a top quality player and a good character too,” said Norwich head coach David Wagner. “He hasn’t had much training but he was ready to come on and showed his quality with a good run and an excellent finish.

“I think it was a solid point for us, a deserved point. I thought it was an excellent defensive performance and we also threatened in transitions.

“We decided to go into this game with a 5-4-1 formation because we thought that was the right approach given the quality of the opposition and the form they have been in.

“We knew that would mean less possession for us but we have taken a point from the game and could even have taken all three, so in the end it was a good decision.”

Southampton extended their unbeaten run to 18 matches as they drew 1-1 with Norwich in the Championship at Carrow Road.

The Saints dominated the game for long periods and looked to be heading for all three points when Adam Armstrong converted from close range midway through the second half.

But Norwich kept battling away and earned themselves a share of the spoils in the 78th minute as fit-again substitute Josh Sargent finished off a slick move to register his first goal for the Canaries since picking up a serious injury in August.

The pattern of the game was established in the opening period, with Southampton dominating possession and Norwich keeping them largely at arm’s length, whilst relying on the occasional breakaway to pose a threat.

The end result was a half of few clear-cut chances at either end, with both keepers largely untroubled.

The Saints came closest to breaking the deadlock two minutes before the break when Jack Stephens hit the woodwork after being set up by a delightful touch inside the box from Armstrong.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis had sent a free header straight at Angus Gunn for the visitors, who were hampered by the loss of Samuel Edozie midway through the half following a poor challenge from Jack Stacey.

Norwich looked a threat on the rare occasions they had the ball in the Southampton half and thought they had scored on 20 minutes when Sam McCallum volleyed home a Stacey cross, but the flag had already gone up for a tight offside decision.

Half-time substitute Che Adams was only narrowly off target with an audacious 45-yard lob as the Saints continued where they left off after the break, with Joe Aribo then sending a back-post header flashing past the upright.

Creating clear-cut chances was once again an issue for the dominant Saints however, and it must have come as relief as much as anything else when they finally got the goal they deserved on 70 minutes.

The dangerous Kyle Walker-Peters did the damage as he burst into the box from the left and got to the byline before sending in a low cross that flicked off Grant Hanley for Armstrong to volley home from close range.

Norwich looked down and out at that stage but they finally put together a decent move of their own with 12 minutes remaining to get back on level terms.

Gabriel Sara and Jon Rowe were both involved as the Canaries worked the ball neatly through the middle to give substitute Sargent the chance to roll the ball past the advancing Gavin Bazunu from just inside the box.

Adams headed a Ryan Fraser cross over in injury-time and Armstrong was denied by a good stop by Gunn as Southampton sought to restore their lead but Russell Martin’s side had to settle for a point.

Russell Martin hopes Prime Minister Rishi Sunak enjoyed the show his Southampton side put on as they beat Plymouth 2-1.

Saints fan Sunak celebrated from the stands as Carlos Alcaraz and Che Adams helped the south coast side go a 17th match unbeaten to bolster their automatic promotion credentials.

Martin, who has been a member of the Green Party, said: “I hope he enjoyed himself just like anyone who comes here I hope they enjoy themselves.

“I have no interest because I’m a football manager. I’m not sure we’re aligned on too much politically but I know he’s a fan and I hope he enjoyed watching the team.

“I’m some people would be excited about him being here but we had a job to do and we were here to win a football match and we did.”

After dominating the first half which had seen Taylor Harwood-Bellis strike a post, Alcaraz curled Saints into the lead for his fourth goal of the season.

Striker Adams then capitalised on a stunning through pass from Harwood-Bellis to double the lead and keep the pressure on top two Ipswich and Leicester.

But a crazy finale, in which Ryan Hardie pegged one back after pinching the ball off goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, took the shine off the seventh straight home win.

“The last few minutes were mental,” said Martin. “We took our foot off the gas and it is frustrating.

“They’ll feel really aggrieved by the decision and it was so touch but it wouldn’t have been deserved. It was attack versus defence for so long. We should have scored before we did.

“It is a big learning curve for the lads as they should have had a clean sheet.”

Seconds before Alcaraz’s opener, Plymouth had the ball in the net after Bali Mumba had headed in on for the offside flag to go up.

Replays showed it was the incorrect decision, and Argyle’s caretaker boss Neil Dewsnip was left bereft by the call which left the Pilgrims without an away win this season.

Director of football Dewsnip, who is in the process of finding Steven Schumacher’s replacement, said: “I thought Southampton were excellent and were conscious the last two teams who came here lost by four and five.

“We had a few scary moments in the first half but a few moments where if we had a bit more quality we could have put them to the sword.

“I’m devastated for the players. I’m really disappointed about the decision. We don’t seem to get the rub of the green.

“In a world of VAR where they put the lines across the pitch, there was a line across the pitch called the six-yard box and it indicates our player was quite clearly on side.

“I don’t think (I’ll go and see the officials), I think that would just tease us.

“That’s the really annoying bit. People make mistakes but the next bit is really disappointing. They take a quick free-kick. Three of our players are celebrating a goal, should have allowed them to get goal side.

“They didn’t need to prove to me or the Green Army their resilience. We got a bit of a lucky goal but we kept going.

“We have to ask our official friends to be a bit kinder across the season.”

Che Adams and Carlos Alcaraz netted as Southampton continued their assault on the Sky Bet Championship automatic places by beating Plymouth 2-1 at St Mary’s.

Alcaraz’s and Adams’ second-half strikes were also given an official seal of approval as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – a Southampton fan – celebrated them from the stands.

Ryan Hardie pulled one back in stoppage time but Saints are now on a 17-league match unbeaten run – two off their 102-year club record – and have scored 12 goals in their last four fixtures to turn up the pressure on Ipswich and Leicester.

The first half was summed up by Southampton having 81 per cent of possession but not legally finding the back of the net.

Striker Adams did roll the ball past Conor Hazard and into the goal in the fifth minute only to see the offside flag raised.

And then Adam Armstrong had the net rippling as he took aim from inside the centre circle but the ball landed on the roof of the goal with a scrambling Hazard beaten.

Saints continued to push. Kyle Walker-Peters twisted and turned in the box but his shot was weak, Alcaraz swivelled on the edge of the area but struck wide and Ryan Manning dragged wide.

They even hit a post as Manchester City loanee Taylor Harwood-Bellis glanced a header from a corner onto the upright.

Argyle had little attacking threat, but Morgan Whittaker was chased down by Samuel Edozie when clean through and their only shot of note saw Ben Waine slice high over the goal.

The visitors thought they had scored 10 minutes into the second period but Bali Mumba was offside before nodding in – moments later Alcaraz had opened the scoring for real and they stared down the barrel of continuing their 100 per cent winless away record.

The Argentinian had already gone close twice since the restart before receiving the ball from Edozie just outside the area before curling sumptuously into the top corner for his fourth goal of the season.

The goal opened the visitors up and after Will Smallbone had glanced a header wide, Adams made it two with some fine strength.

Harwood-Bellis spotted his run and unleashed him with a perfectly clipped ball down the middle, which allowed Adams to hold off his defender and finish past Hazard.

Joe Aribo crashed just wide, Adam Armstrong forced a save out of Hazard while Sekou Mara and Jack Stephens were both blocked on the line.

The Pilgrims did score the first away goal at St Mary’s since November 11 when keeper Gavin Bazunu had the ball pinched off him on his own goalline by Hardie – who tapped in.

Ryan Fraser squandered a one-on-one and Whittaker curled over in a breathless finale but Saints made it seven home victories on the spin.

Southampton manager Russell Martin admitted he took no joy in thrashing old club Swansea 5-0.

Martin took charge of the Swans for two seasons before leaving to join Saints last summer – where he has now overseen a 16-match unbeaten run and seen his side close in on the Championship automatic-promotion places.

The former MK Dons boss, who was making his first reunion with the Swans, did a lap of honour after the match and was applauded by both sets of fans.

“I don’t take any more joy out of beating them,” said Martin.

“That reception from the Swansea fans made me really emotional, it was really incredible and I hope the Southampton fans understand why I applaud them.

“I love some of their players on the pitch. My feeling towards the people who run the football club, who are not in Wales, is completely detached from the feeling I have for the people in Wales.

“I didn’t know what I was expecting, they could have booed, I hoped not but we left.

“I really buy into clubs and so does my family – my son wanted a Jan Bednarek signed shirt for Christmas and he wore it all day, it is down to his ankles.

“We are loving our time here but we also loved our time at Swansea.”

Saints took the lead in the 17th minute when Joe Aribo slotted in for the first time since October 2022.

Samuel Edozie capitalised on goalkeeper Carl Rushworth’s air-kick to back-heel his fifth goal of the season before Ryan Fraser came off the bench to emphatically finish twice, and Che Adams added a fifth.

The performance was a reward for Martin giving his players Christmas Day off.

He said: “I gave the players Christmas Day off because they are human-beings.

“If I’m going to preach to them about how important family is and being able to separate reality from this then to say they have to come in on Christmas Day is unfair.

“It would only have been the right thing if we won, if we lost then it would be the reason why we lost. They really repaid me today.”

Swansea interim boss Alan Sheehan is holding talks over his future later on Saturday.

The Irishman said: “I will be speaking to the owners after the game. Right now, I have to debrief that game.

“I understand everyone wants clarity but I can only get the team prepared.”

Swansea only had one shot on target.

Sheehan added: “We came here with the intention of going toe to toe with one of the best teams in the league.

“For large periods of the game we were massively in the game but the second goal kills us – it was a sucker-punch.

“I didn’t like a lot of the second half to be honest, it was unacceptable. We gifted them goals at times and made it hard for ourselves.

“It was unacceptable but I’ll take responsibility. We want to be brave but we caused ourselves problems at times.”

Russell Martin saw promotion-chasing Southampton equal a 102-year record with a 5-0 victory over his former club Swansea.

Ryan Fraser netted a brace while Joe Aribo, Samuel Edozie and Che Adams also struck to help Saints extend their unbeaten run to 16 matches, their longest stretch without a league defeat since the 1921/22 season.

Southampton, who were watched by owner Dragan Solak ahead of the January transfer window, moved up to third and are only four points adrift of the Championship automatic-promotion places.

It would have been bittersweet for Martin, who managed the Swans in 99 fixtures before switching to Saints last summer.

Swansea had started strongly. Jerry Yates met a Ben Cabango pass from a deep free-kick but fired high and wide on the slide in the second minute.

Then Bashir Humphreys found Jamal Lowe in acres of space at the back post but his attempted side-footed strike ballooned off target.

They were quickly made to pay for their lack of killer instinct as Aribo opened the scoring in the 17th minute, his first goal for 451 days, when he netted against Everton in the Premier League.

Edozie had smartly jinxed his way to the by-line before cutting back to Stuart Armstrong. The midfielder’s shot was blocked but it fell to the Nigeria international who fired in via the post.

Swansea are a rare Championship side Adam Armstrong has failed to score against, and he had two good first-half chances to remedy that.

Firstly, his effort was too tame and central to beat Carl Rushworth after a Kyle Walker-Peters pull back, before properly testing the keeper with a left-footed strike destined for the bottom corner.

Saints consolidated their lead three minutes into the second half but were indebted to a rush of blood from Rushworth to give Edozie a tap-in.

The Brighton loanee swung wildly at Nathan Wood’s back pass, missed and winger Edozie was free to back heel in for goals in back-to-back home matches.

The goal was met with chants of “get out of our club” by Swansea fans as they continued to make their displeasure at their American owners known.

Substitute Fraser made sure of the Saints victory when he curled into the top corner after Adam Armstrong had quickly turned over the ball and played it to the Scot.

Sekou Mara was a toe from sliding in a fourth before Rushworth had to bat away Walker-Peters’ near-post blast.

Fraser crashed into the roof of the net after Mara had played him in and Adams powered in after a Fraser cross to make it four and five – with 310 minutes elapsing since Saints last conceded a goal.

Southampton boss Russell Martin applauded Shea Charles for a “good foul” after the midfielder was sent off towards the end of a 1-0 win at QPR.

With the Saints under pressure, midfielder Charles, on as a second-half substitute, halted a Rangers attack in the 89th minute by bringing down Albert Adomah.

It led to Shea being dismissed for a second yellow card and meant the visitors saw out the final stages with 10 men before securing a valuable three points in the race for promotion.

Martin said: “Shea took one for the team, which is unfortunate for him but was a big moment because such a strength of theirs is on the counter-attack.

“(I’ll criticise) if you get sent off for something stupid – dissent or a wild tackle and all that stuff.

“If you’re on a yellow card and one of their biggest threats is the counter-attack, I think it’s a good foul. There are good fouls in the game and that was one.

“Now he misses a game, but I’m never going to criticise someone for taking one for the team.”

A Taylor Harwood-Bellis header three minutes before half-time was enough to clinch victory for Martin’s side, who are fourth in the Sky Bet Championship and now unbeaten in 15 matches – Southampton’s longest unbeaten run since 1950.

The Saints took their chance to close the gap on second-placed Ipswich, who were thrashed 4-0 by fellow promotion challengers Leeds earlier in the day.

“We had an opportunity to make up some points today and thankfully we took it,” said Martin.

“We limited them to very little in terms of big chances. We defended the box brilliantly. On the whole I’m really delighted.

“We were OK in the first half – a little bit of a lack of energy compared to recent weeks – and in the second half I thought we were great.”

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes insisted he took encouragement from his team’s display despite the loss.

Rangers remain third from bottom and have suffered back-to-back defeats, having recently won three matches in a row under the recently-appointed Spaniard.

“I’m disappointed because of the result. We want to win matches and today we were not good enough to do it,” said Cifuentes.

“At the same time, I can feel proud and encouraged about what’s coming because I saw a team that produced a good performance and tried to play positive, attacking football against one of the best sides in the league.

“We made things very difficult for Southampton. We had a good period in the first half and then unfortunately we conceded a goal from a set-piece.

“At half-time we spoke about putting a lot of pressure on them and I think the guys did that excellently.

“Perhaps we lack this clinical part in the last third, because we got in a lot of situations but should have produced more.

“Overall a very positive performance, but when you lose games you can never be satisfied.

“Now it’s time to look forward. I think if we play at the level we did today then we can collect a lot of points.

“I feel quite calm and the most important thing is that the team keeps progressing and improving.”

A Taylor Harwood-Bellis header gave Southampton a 1-0 victory at QPR to make it 15 matches without defeat – the Saints’ longest unbeaten run since 1950.

The visitors ended the match with 10 men following the 89th-minute sending-off of Shea Charles, but they held on.

Southampton’s fine run has included 10 wins and Russell Martin’s side, fourth in the Sky Bet Championship, remain very much in the race for automatic promotion.

Rangers, meanwhile, have suffered back-to-back defeats and remain third from bottom, having previously won three matches in a row under recently-appointed boss Marti Cifuentes.

The R’s have improved since the Spaniard took over and were on the front foot for much of the first half, with the outstanding Ilias Chair their main threat.

Chair almost embarrassed goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu with an audacious attempt from near the halfway line which drifted just over.

The Rangers forward also dispossessed Will Smallbone to set up Elijah Dixon-Bonner, who shot over, and then set up Andre Dozzell, whose shot was deflected over by Flynn Downes.

Chair worried Southampton again when he tricked his way past James Bree before seeing his low strike saved by Bazunu.

Bree was given a torrid time by Chair and was not helped by sustaining what looked like a hamstring injury early on.

He was replaced just after the half-hour mark by former QPR man Ryan Manning, who made an immediate impact, posing a threat on the left-hand side and delivering a free-kick from the opposite flank which led to the goal three minutes before half-time.

Manning swung the ball in and Harwood-Bellis got away from right-back Reggie Cannon to head Adam Armstrong’s flick-on past keeper Asmir Begovic.

It knocked the stuffing out of Rangers, who tried hard to conjure an equaliser in the second half but struggled to create openings.

Chair remained a handful but fellow playmaker Chris Willock failed to make an impact, sending one effort well over before going off after suffering an injury – a potential concern for Cifuentes ahead of some crucial matches over the festive period.

The Saints were always dangerous on the counter-attack and Begovic prevented a second goal by producing a fine save to deny Stuart Armstrong.

Charles, on as a second-half substitute, was dismissed for a second yellow card following a foul on Albert Adomah.

Russell Martin hailed his “relentless” Southampton side for finally blowing apart a Championship rival after thrashing 10-man Blackburn 4-0.

Samuel Edozie, Stuart Armstrong, Sekou Mara and Carlos Alcaraz all netted as Saints continued their best unbeaten run for 39 years and made it five home victories in a row.

Southampton’s single-digit goal difference and early-season slump had seen them fall behind pace-setters Leicester and Ipswich, but after 14 matches without defeat, they are starting to put pressure on the top two.

Martin said: “We’re not even halfway through the season and there is so much more room to grow.

“Hopefully we can have more days like today but even when we have only been winning by one goal in our eyes it has been convincing.

“You can’t always win convincingly, not even the teams at the top are leaving teams in their wake.

“I felt like we needed the second goal in the second half and always looked likely to get it even before the sending-off.

“I don’t know how you define a convincing win but we have got the goals we felt have been coming.

“We have been punished a couple of times for not scoring the goals but today we were relentless. The league is so tight and the goals might be really important at the end of the season.

“I’m really pleased we got the third and fourth goals as it is a fair reflection of the players’ mentality and creation. I enjoyed watching the team.

“That is five wins at home in a row and that is really amazing for the players. If we keep putting in performances like that we’ll see where it takes us.”

After dominating the first half, Saints finally led in the 44th minute when Edozie – on his first start for two months – diverted James Bree’s corner home.

Rovers defender Callum Brittain was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away in the 55th minute, having already been booked for pulling Kyle Walker-Peters’ shirt.

And from then on Saints turned on the style.

Stuart Armstrong stroked in after following in on Flynn Downes getting chopped down to make it 2-0 in the 64th minute.

Mara won a penalty, only for Alcaraz to chip over, but the Frenchman tapped in Ryan Fraser’s cross before Alcaraz thumped in a fourth deep into stoppage time.

Rovers boss Jon Dahl Tomasson revealed Brittain apologised in the dressing room after the match, but pinpointed his lack of discipline as the turning point at St Mary’s.

“It is a disappointing day. It is always going to be a difficult game against a team that is a Premier League squad,” he said.

“We knew that but we came with the intention of winning the game. In the first half we were quite solid and gave one chance away but we weren’t quite good enough on the ball today and the first goal’s timing hurts our game.

“The game totally changed after the red card and being a player behind against a Premier League side is difficult. We were still in the game after the first goal but after the second booking the game is over.

“Callum apologised to his team-mates in the dressing room immediately. A game where we could have got something out of it at 1-0, then suddenly the game is over.”

Samuel Edozie netted for the second time in a week as Southampton dispatched Blackburn 4-0 to extend their unbeaten run to 14 matches.

Winger Edozie poked in a corner before Stuart Armstrong’s third goal of the season, Sekou Mara’s tap-in and Carlos Alcaraz’s finish punished Rovers, who had Callum Brittain sent off after two yellow cards.

Alcaraz also missed a penalty for the hosts but they secured a fifth straight home win for the first time since 2014 and continued their best streak for 39 years.

Southampton boasted 73 per cent of possession in a first half in which Blackburn sat back and tried not to concede. But Saints had little to show for their domination until the 44th-minute goal.

Stuart Armstrong showed nifty footwork before whipping a shot past the post, while Edozie and Will Smallbone caused panic in the box with their quick feet and Sondre Tronstad was forced to head onto the roof of his own goal.

James Bree ran onto a volley, Adam Armstrong charged down goalkeeper Leopold Wahlstedt and Smallbone’s controlled finish from Stuart Armstrong’s cross continued the largely one-way traffic.

The only time that flow changed was in the 24th minute when the visitors won a free-kick on the edge of the Saints box.

Championship top scorer Sammie Szmodics smashed through the wall before Brittain followed up – with both kept out by Gavin Bazunu’s strong wrists.

Edozie had returned to the starting XI for the first time since October after scoring against Coventry in the week.

He rewarded Russell Martin, and capped the authoritative first half, by prodding in a Bree corner on the cusp of half-time.

After Wahlstedt had brilliantly denied Stuart Armstrong, Blackburn showed off their attacking pedigree for the first time as Bazunu had to be cute to save from Andrew Moran and Harry Leonard.

But that momentum was squashed in the 55th minute when Brittain needlessly received his second booking for kicking the ball away, having got his first for a shirt pull on Kyle Walker-Peters.

That only made Southampton’s task easier and nine minutes later, Stuart Armstrong stroked in after Flynn Downes had broken through and been chopped down.

Self-preservation was the name of the last half an hour for Rovers but they could not prevent Southampton’s fresh legs.

Alcaraz’s ‘Panenka’ penalty went over the bar, after Hayden Carter had downed Mara, and Wahlstedt stunningly denied Ryan Fraser.

Saints added gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time as Mara turned in Fraser’s cross and Alcaraz thumped in a rebound after Smallbone had been thwarted.

Saints went level on points with third-placed Leeds and closed the gap to the runaway top two to 10 points.

Mark Robins claimed Coventry are growing in stature after their 1-1 draw against Southampton.

The Sky Blues opened the scoring through Haji Wright before they were pegged back by substitute Samuel Edozie to stretch their unbeaten run to 13 games.

“You can see that we are growing in stature and confidence,” said Robins. “Four points from two tough home games is really pleasing.

“They had more possession in the first half. They are a quality team, but we worked really hard out of possession and there were not many chances in the first half.

“There was little between the teams in terms of chances created. We spoke at half-time about keeping the ball a bit more and we did that much better.

“We got more chances, grew in confidence, got the goal – a brilliant goal. Haji got into a good position, took the extra touch and you can see him growing in confidence.

“We worked hard in possession, out of possession, there were some good performances, but we were out of position for their goal.

“I think the way we played will give us a lot of confidence and it was a deserved point.

“The players are starting to look like they know each other now, they work really hard and they get that little bit of confidence.

“We try and keep people together and the performances have been really good, some play tonight was outstanding.”

Southampton boss Russell Martin claimed he and his team can only focus on themselves as they fell 12 points behind Ipswich in the race for the Sky Bet Championship automatic promotion places.

He said: “Just focus on ourselves and keep growing. I’m really proud of where the team is now, there’s been some frustrating results in that run, Rotherham draw, Huddersfield draw, then we’ve won games late.

“I’m really proud of the players, our job is to continue to grow, focus on ourselves and see where it takes us. Any other season, the last seven or eight, we’d be in the top two or within one or two points, so we can’t impact that. Two teams have made an incredible start.

“They score more goals than us, is the one thing they have over us at the minute. We don’t put games to bed, we should score a couple tonight but we don’t, and that’s the next step for us.

“I thought we were really good tonight, against a really good, well organised team. I felt their only chances were going to come from pouncing on a mistake, they scored from a goal that came from that and they had a couple of moments in transition.

“The reaction to going 1-0 down, because we haven’t been behind for a while, was fantastic. The subs had a brilliant impact.

“The last 10 minutes became really open because they’re trying to win, we’re trying to win, nobody was hanging on.”

Samuel Edozie scored his first goal since September to extend Southampton’s unbeaten run to 13 games with a 1-1 draw at Coventry.

The former Manchester City winger had been an unused substitute in the Saints’ last three outings, but came off the bench to cancel out Haji Wright’s opener.

Russell Martin’s men pushed tirelessly for a winner in the closing stages, but the draw keeps Southampton firmly in the play-off positions – 12 points behind second-placed Ipswich.

The Sky Blues were forced to withstand heavy pressure against the possession-hungry Saints in the first half as Adam Armstrong attempted to add to his 12 Sky Bet Championship goals this season.

The forward scored 20 goals for Coventry on loan from Newcastle in the 2015-16 season and forced home goalkeeper Brad Collins into action after 10 minutes when he cut inside from the right and fired a low effort at goal.

Bobby Thomas came flying out of defence to block Armstrong’s next effort after a smart short corner routine before Ellis Simms hooked off the line.

Ryan Manning almost put Southampton ahead when he met a Kyle Walker-Peters cross midway through the first half.

But Coventry withstood the pressure, seeing just 24 per cent of the ball in the opening 45 minutes, before Jamie Allen fired wide from the edge of the box.

Simms had scored in just one of the 21 appearances for the Sky Blues prior to the Saints’ arrival and Gavin Bazunu stood firm to block the former Everton man’s effort after he was played in by Tatsuhiro Sakamoto.

Coventry’s positive end to the half gave Robins’ men confidence after the break and they were inches from going ahead through Callum O’Hare, fresh off his first goals in over 18 months against Birmingham last time out.

Milan van Ewijk created space for himself down the right and pulled back for O’Hare, whose sweetly struck effort crashed off the crossbar and away to safety.

The Sky Blues were ahead just two minutes later when Wright found himself in acres of space inside the box and shifted the ball inside before slotting home his sixth of the season.

The opening goal came following some good work from O’Hare, who held off Manning before calmly slotting in Wright with the Southampton defence all at sea.

Southampton’s search for an equaliser saw Stuart Armstrong force Collins into a low save to his left, whilst Martin introduced Edozie alongside Ryan Fraser from the bench.

Both substitutes were heavily involved in the equaliser just seven minutes later as Fraser’s cross was nodded on by Adam Armstrong to Edozie, who controlled the ball with his chest before finding the far corner.

From then on it was all Southampton as Joe Aribo’s left-footed effort whistled past the upright.

Thomas had his heart in his mouth when he diverted Fraser’s cross agonisingly wide of the post, whilst Adam Armstrong’s first effort was blocked and his well-struck follow-up brushed the top of the crossbar.

Samuel Edozie scored his first goal since September to extend Southampton’s unbeaten run to 12 games with a 1-1 draw at Coventry.

The former Manchester City winger had been an unused substitute in the Saints’ last three outings, but came off the bench to cancel out Haji Wright’s opener.

Russell Martin’s men pushed tirelessly for a winner in the closing stages, but the draw keeps Southampton firmly in the play-off positions – 12 points behind second-placed Ipswich.

The Sky Blues were forced to withstand heavy pressure against the possession-hungry Saints in the first half as Adam Armstrong attempted to add to his 12 Sky Bet Championship goals this season.

The forward scored 20 goals for Coventry on loan from Newcastle in the 2015-16 season and forced home goalkeeper Brad Collins into action after 10 minutes when he cut inside from the right and fired a low effort at goal.

Bobby Thomas came flying out of defence to block Armstrong’s next effort after a smart short corner routine before Ellis Simms hooked off the line.

Ryan Manning almost put Southampton ahead when he met a Kyle Walker-Peters cross midway through the first half.

But Coventry withstood the pressure, seeing just 24 per cent of the ball in the opening 45 minutes, before Jamie Allen fired wide from the edge of the box.

Simms had scored in just one of the 21 appearances for the Sky Blues prior to the Saints’ arrival and Gavin Bazunu stood firm to block the former Everton man’s effort after he was played in by Tatsuhiro Sakamoto.

Coventry’s positive end to the half gave Robins’ men confidence after the break and they were inches from going ahead through Callum O’Hare, fresh off his first goals in over 18 months against Birmingham last time out.

Milan van Ewijk created space for himself down the right and pulled back for O’Hare, whose sweetly struck effort crashed off the crossbar and away to safety.

The Sky Blues were ahead just two minutes later when Wright found himself in acres of space inside the box and shifted the ball inside before slotting home his sixth of the season.

The opening goal came following some good work from O’Hare, who held off Manning before calmly slotting in Wright with the Southampton defence all at sea.

Southampton’s search for an equaliser saw Stuart Armstrong force Collins into a low save to his left, whilst Martin introduced Edozie alongside Ryan Fraser from the bench.

Both substitutes were heavily involved in the equaliser just seven minutes later as Fraser’s cross was nodded on by Adam Armstrong to Edozie, who controlled the ball with his chest before finding the far corner.

From then on it was all Southampton as Joe Aribo’s left-footed effort whistled past the upright.

Thomas had his heart in his mouth when he diverted Fraser’s cross agonisingly wide of the post, whilst Adam Armstrong’s first effort was blocked and his well-struck follow-up brushed the top of the crossbar.

Walsall scraped past non-league Alfreton 1-0 as they nervously booked an FA Cup third-round trip to Southampton.

The League Two side got off to a flier when they took just six minutes to score what proved to be the only goal of the game from Jamille Matt.

Douglas James-Taylor’s menacing run down the left opened up the non-league side’s defence, skipper Donervon Daniels’ miscued shot fell kindly and Matt kept his cool to score from close range.

But there was no further breakthrough as Alfreton keeper George Willis made solid saves to deny Brandon Comley, Tom Knowles, Ryan Stirk and a James-Taylor header, while Matt twice should have done better in one-on-ones.

In a first half of six bookings, including one for visiting boss Billy Heath, the visitors were starting to threaten a lot more as half-time approached. And the National League North side stepped it up after the break.

Walsall had chances to seal it a bit more comfortably as James-Taylor hit a post with a wide angled chip, while Liam Gordon went close with a left-foot shot.

But the closest either side came was a blocked shot from visiting skipper Shaun Brisley which span up over the bar – to ensure that it is Mat Sadler’s Saddlers who go to St Mary’s on January 6.