Slick Saints weather storm in win over Birmingham

Saints were outstanding for the best part of an hour, scoring first-half goals through Taylor Harwood-Bellis’s first for the club and Charly Alcaraz’s first in the Sky Bet Championship.

It was no more than Russell Martin’s side deserved for their enterprising attacking play, sharp passing football and the urgency with which they hunted the opposition out of possession.

But the arrival of Jay Stansfield as a 57th-minute substitute paid instant dividends for visiting boss Wayne Rooney, as the youngster pulled a goal back with his first contribution, forcing Saints to navigate a tricky spell in monsoon-like conditions at St Mary’s.

Though less fluid than the first half, the hosts did regain control, and ultimately killed the game off through Adam Armstrong’s eighth goal of the season with four minutes to go.

Martin made four changes to his side at the end of a gruelling week following long trips north to Hull and Preston, but not at left-back, where James Bree kept his place after making his first league start of the season at Deepdale.

That was despite the return from suspension of Ryan Manning, who would have to be content with a place on the bench alongside Mason Holgate, Shea Charles and Samuel Edozie, who all dropped out of the starting line-up along with the injured Ché Adams, forced off at half time in midweek.

In came Harwood-Bellis, Stuart Armstrong, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Alcaraz, who started from the right side of the front three with captain Adam Armstrong through the middle.

Saints were in the ascendancy from the start with plenty of early possession, and Will Smallbone was asking the question of David Webb when he was bumped in the back by Ivan Šunjić in the box, but the referee was unmoved.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis heads home his first Saints goal in the ninth minute

It was Alcaraz picking the ball up from a deeper position that allowed the Argentine to thread a delicious through ball into the path of Kyle Walker-Peters, whose dangerous cross was put behind by Emanuel Aiwu.

When Saints worked the resulting corner short, Adam Armstrong turned into a crossing position on his left foot and delivered an inviting ball gleefully headed home by Harwood-Bellis from eight yards.

The defender had to show the other side of his game soon after when isolated against the pacey Siriki Dembélé, but Harwood-Bellis stayed on his feet, waited for his moment and made a timely tackle.

Gavin Bazunu had been a virtual spectator, but the Irishman was worried for the first time when Oliver Burke fired into the side-netting from 20 yards.

That merely stirred Saints into life again, as Stuart Armstrong fed the ball into the path of Kamaldeen, who is virtually impossible to stop when he has space to run into.

Sure enough, the winger left right-back Cody Drameh trailing in his wake and laid the ball on a plate for Alcaraz to double Saints’ lead midway through the first half.

Rooney had been unmoved on the touchline, but the former England captain lost his cool when Bazunu came flying out to meet a chipped ball forward and clattered into Burke, who had just flicked it on in front of him.

Anywhere else on the pitch and any other player surely would have been penalised, but Bazunu was fortunate and Birmingham were denied the penalty Rooney demanded for the collision.

Kamaldeen Sulemana linked up with Stuart Armstrong to assist Charly Alcaraz for Saints' second

It was a rare moment of alarm in a largely serene first half in which Saints not only carried a threat but also harassed their opponents with noticeable urgency, quick to regain possession whenever it was lost.

Martin’s side were looking more dangerous from set-pieces, too. After Bazunu forced an own goal from the last corner of the game at Preston, Harwood-Bellis was hunting his second of the day before half time when he met Stuart Armstrong’s delivery, but on this occasion his header drifted away from the target.

It might have been three before the break when the Scot slipped a brilliant first-time pass in behind the defence for namesake Adam, but the striker pulled his shot wide as he lifted the ball over the legs of veteran goalkeeper John Ruddy.

Stuart Armstrong had been impressive, and the midfielder was at the heart of another slick move at the start of the second period, receiving the ball from Alcaraz and trading passes with Smallbone, only to shoot tamely at Ruddy.

Flynn Downes, another player whose form is improving with every game, fizzed a pass out to Walker-Peters, who delivered another beauty that Adam Armstrong attacked with a diving header, but just steered the chance wide.

It was another fine piece of play, but Saints wanted that third goal to kill the game.

Instead their momentum stalled when Krystian Bielik received lengthy treatment after coming off worse in a tackle on Walker-Peters, before Rooney used the stoppage to introduce Stansfield for Dembélé.

Within a matter of seconds, the substitute was racing on to a long ball that Saints did not deal with, as Stansfield got the better of Walker-Peters and finished brilliantly to halve the deficit.

Adam Armstrong heads wide before completing the scoring late on

Suddenly Saints looked vulnerable. Lukas Jutkiewicz fired a shot goalwards that deflected off Harwood-Bellis and made life awkward for Bazunu, who saved with his legs, before the visitors twice reached good crossing positions to leave the hosts under the cosh for the first time in the match.

It proved only a passing storm, much like the weather at St Mary’s, and Saints made the game safe four minutes from time when two substitutes combined to set up Armstrong, as Ryan Fraser’s cross from the left was nodded down by Samuel Edozie and sharply dispatched by the Championship’s leading scorer from 12 yards.

Southampton: Bazunu, Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Bree, Smallbone (Charles 82), Downes, S Armstrong (Edozie 82), Alcaraz (Aribo 69), A Armstrong (c), Kamaldeen (Fraser 76).

Unused substitutes: McCarthy, Holgate, Manning, Amo-Ameyaw, Mara.

Goals: Harwood-Bellis (9), Alcaraz (22), A Armstrong (86).

Birmingham: Ruddy, Drameh, Sanderson (c), Aiwu (Roberts 76), Longelo, James, Bielik (Gardner 69), Šunjić, Burke (Hogan 69), Jutkiewicz (Miyoshi 76), Dembélé (Stansfield 57).

Unused substitutes: Etheridge, Long, Laird, Khela.

Goal: Stansfield (58).

Booked: Aiwu, Gardner, James, Stansfield.

Referee: David Webb

Attendance: 28,924