Report: Bristol City end Saints' unbeaten run

With Saints standing on the brink of going an entire calendar year unbeaten at home, relegation-threatened City spoiled the party with a coupon-busting 1-0 win.

Fast-forward 12 years and two months and City proved Saints’ kryptonite again, this time at Ashton Gate, as another proud unbeaten record, 25 games in all competitions, fell at the hands of the Robins, who scored three second-half goals before Adam Armstrong’s stoppage-time penalty.

Samuel Edozie struck the crossbar in the first period and shot inches wide immediately after half time, before Sam Bell tapped the hosts in front moments later.

Rob Dickie added City’s second from a 72nd-minute corner, before substitute Harry Cornick struck the third on a night when Saints could never quite find their familiar fluency in front of a bumper away following of more than 3,000 travelling fans, who will all hope this was just a bump on the road to promotion – like 2011/12 all over again.

Russell Martin made four changes to his side, not all through choice, with Flynn Downes and Ché Adams not fit enough to travel to the West Country, while Stuart Armstrong and Ryan Fraser dropped to the bench in the middle of a busy week that will see Saints return to action in another away game at West Brom on Friday night.

Shea Charles and Joe Rothwell, the hero of Saints’ thrilling comeback victory over Huddersfield, came into the midfield, while David Brooks and Edozie, who also impressed off the bench on Saturday, flanked captain Adam Armstrong up front.

Joe Rothwell was rewarded for his two-goal salvo against Huddersfield with a first league start in a Saints shirt

It was the hosts who made the sharper start. City’s top scorer Tommy Conway found space in the box, only for Jan Bednarek to step across and block his shot, before George Tanner arrived at the far post but could not keep his shot down as the ball bounced up awkwardly in front of him.

Saints’ first threatening moment came in the 18th minute, with all four of the new starters involved. Brooks and Charles combined before Rothwell, encouraged to shoot by a boisterous away end, fed the ball wide to Edozie.

The winger was trying to play a one-two and ultimately did so via the legs of an opponent, as the ball sat up for him to guide a measured attempt goalwards that dropped on to the top of Max O’Leary’s crossbar.

But City continued to carry a threat. Jason Knight drilled one wide from the edge of the box, before Taylor Harwood-Bellis made a crucial tackle as the forward was primed to shoot from half the distance.

Back came Saints on the counter. Brooks left two defenders in his wake, playing the ball one side and skipping round the other before slipping a perfectly-weighted pass for Will Smallbone, but O’Leary was out sharply to cut down the angle, leaving the midfielder with little to aim at.

Saints were showing flashes, but City’s was the more sustained threat, as Bell was afforded enough time to take a right-wing cross on his chest and pick his spot, but he dragged his shot into the side-netting, though Gavin Bazunu will argue he had it covered.

Bazunu had to be alert when the hosts tried to spring a breakaway of their own, rushing way out of his box to diffuse the danger with a vital interception at the feet of Anis Mehmeti.

Kyle Walker-Peters on the attack at Ashton Gate

By now Saints had gained more control, but O’Leary remained largely untroubled in the home goal.

That was until Saints strung together a sharp piece of play a minute before half time, when Charles stole the ball and a quick interchange invited Adam Armstrong to hit a snapshot repelled by the City stopper.

This was a game of counter-attacks, and from O’Leary’s save City launched another raid, as Mehmeti’s shot deflected narrowly wide – another side-netting moment that had the Saints fans behind Bazunu’s goal ironically cheering the hosts’ premature celebrations.

Martin’s response at the interval was to replace Charles with Stuart Armstrong, adding extra creativity from midfield.

But it was from a City mistake that Saints fashioned their best chance of the game in the opening minute of the second half.

Adam Armstrong pounced on a misplaced pass and found Edozie to his left, whose shot rolled agonisingly wide of the far post – but not quite wide enough to be tapped in by the sliding Brooks, who painfully collided with the post in the process of stretching for the ball virtually on the goal line.

Instead it was the home side who struck first seven minutes into the second half. Mehmeti attempted to trade passes with a teammate down by the corner flag, and would have been offside had he succeeded, but the return pass was inadvertently provided by Smallbone, allowing the winger to escape and deliver a low cross begging for a touch that was duly provided by Bell from point-blank range.

Adam Armstrong struck his 16th goal of the season from a stoppage-time penalty

Saints were behind again, just as they were at half time on Saturday. The response was nearly instant, as Stuart Armstrong’s first involvement was a cross from the left for the onrushing Walker-Peters, who connected sweetly on the volley but found O’Leary in the right place to save with his legs.

Both teams made double substitutions on 64 minutes, as Martin looked to Fraser and Sékou Mara to provide the inspiration, withdrawing starting wingers Edozie and Brooks.

But this was not to be Saints’ night. From another counter-attack, City found themselves with a numerical advantage and forced a corner, from which Dickie rose highest to head home at the far post.

Kamaldeen was immediately summoned, but Cornick finished off another rapid breakaway, dispatching a low cross from fellow substitute Ross McCrorie, ensuring Adam Armstrong’s late spot-kick, after Walker-Peters was fouled, counted for no more than goal difference.

It’s 25 and out for Martin’s record-breaking Saints.

Bristol City: O’Leary, Tanner, Vyner, Dickie, Roberts (McCrorie 76), Mehmeti (Mebude 86), Williams, James (c), Bell (Cornick 64), Knight (Gardner-Hickman 64), Conway (Wells 76).

Unused substitutes: Bajic, Knight-Lebel, King, Sykes.

Goals: Bell (52’), Dickie (73’), Cornick (82’).

Yellow cards: Vyner, Williams.

Southampton: Bazunu, Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Manning, Smallbone, Charles (S Armstrong 46), Rothwell (Kamaldeen 74), Brooks (Mara 64), A Armstrong (c), Edozie (Fraser 64).

Unused substitutes: Lumley, Stephens, Meghoma, Dibling, Amo-Ameyaw.

Goal: A Armstrong (90+5’ pen).

Yellow cards: Fraser, Kamaldeen.

Referee: Matthew Donohue.

Attendance: 24,674 (3,353 away).