A James Ward-Prowse penalty and a powerful Che Adams volley gave Southampton their first win in 10 games as they beat basement-side Sheffield United 2-0 at Bramall Lane.
Ward-Prowse fired in the opener from the spot (32) after Nathan Tella had been fouled by Ethan Ampadu, with regular penalty taker Danny Ings already withdrawn to add to the Saints' lengthy injury list.
Sheffield United passed up a great opportunity to level moments before the break when former Saint David McGoldrick fired straight at Fraser Forster - his shot would prove one of only two that were on target from the hosts all afternoon.
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Instead, Southampton doubled their lead after a half-hearted clearance from John Lundstram was nodded straight to Adams, who volleyed a stunning second past Aaron Ramsdale from 20 yards (49).
A first win since beating Liverpool on January 4 eases the Saints' faint relegation worries and moves them 10 points clear of Fulham, but the Blades remain 12 points adrift of safety, having now played two games more than 17th-placed Newcastle.
Same old story edges Blades closer to drop
It was always unlikely to be a high-octane affair at Bramall Lane, given the form of the two clubs involved, with errors over quality likely to play their part. And they did.
The first chance of note took 25 minutes to arrive - when Enda Stevens' fluffed clearance allowed Tella a free shot with Ramsdale off his line - but his panicked finish flew well wide.
Eight minutes later the Saints were ahead, with Tella again playing a part. His pace would trouble the Blades throughout and he was clearly clipped by Ampadu when running through, allowing Ward-Prowse to send Ramsdale the wrong way for the opener.
In the dying moments of the opening period McGoldrick should have levelled from a lackadaisical Ibrahima Diallo pass in midfield, but he fired Rhian Brewster's threaded pass straight into Forster's body.
Sheffield United have lacked quality throughout the season while remaining committed mentally, but even that was in real question for the Saints' second four minutes after the break.
Kyle Walker-Peters' cross was kept alive by Adams on the byline before his low cross was palmed away to Ramsdale. A lazy hook from Lundstram only found Armstrong, whose header teed up Adams for a thunderous finish to double the lead.
That should not have been Adams' only goal as he was later denied by Ramsdale on the break, with Nathan Redmond also kept out from a similar position, while Takumi Minamino and Stuart Armstrong also missed presentable chances to add to the visitors' lead and confidence.
Stevens and Jayden Bogle both passed up half-chances for the hosts, who continued fighting until the end, but may not have much longer to fight in their increasingly unlikely attempt at avoiding the drop.
What the managers said...
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder told Sky Sports: "We didn't deserve anything from the game. We had more of the ball than we've had for quite a while, but second half the second goal killed us.
"We had possession at the top of the pitch, it comes back, and a lack of quality, a mis-timed tackle, we give it away again - it's another one of three, four and five mistakes. You can't let one mistake go to another, and we've done that too many times. I don't really have an answer for anybody, any of the players.
"Yep, we've opened up, they could've taken us from two to three to four, Aaron's made sure it hasn't happened, but we have to be at our best, full-tilt, the best players have got to be playing to the best of our abilities."
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl told Sky Sports: "The first win after a long time is always an important one, and I think it was a deserved one today. We had a good performance, deserved to win and it feels good.
"The team did what we had to do against a team that is fighting for everything. The only thing I can criticise is that we could have scored more, but it was important for Che to score, Nathan Tella played well, and it was a good performance."
Man of the match - Che Adams
Earlier in the season, it was the absence of Ings which allowed Adams to blossom, and perhaps lightning will strike twice here. Certainly it did in the resumption of his scoring streak versus Sheffield United, against whom he has scored four of his nine Premier League goals.
The second goal was owed not just to his superb long-range finish but also his work-rate in stopping Walker-Peters' cross going behind when the Sheffield United defenders had switched off, and he was excellent with and without the ball.
Opta facts
- Southampton picked up their first Premier League win in 10 matches, having lost eight of the previous nine in the competition (D1).
- Sheffield United have become only the second English top-flight team to lose 22 of their first 28 games in a season after Sunderland in 2005-06.
- Sheffield United have shipped the first goal in 21 Premier League games this season - more than any other side, with the Blades losing 19 of those 21 games.
- Southampton have won four consecutive league encounters with Sheffield United for the first time since 1950 in the second tier.
- Southampton ended a seven-match winless run away from home in the Premier League (D2 L5), scoring as many goals vs Sheffield United as they did in their previous six on the road (2).
What's next?
Sheffield United visit Leicester next Sunday, live on Sky Sports Premier League from 1pm; Kick-off at 2pm.
Before that Southampton face Manchester City in midweek, visiting the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night, live on Sky Sports Premier League from 5.30pm; Kick-off at 6pm.