Southampton condemned Crystal Palace to the Premier League relegation zone with a 3-1 victory at Selhurst Park this afternoon.
Sadio Mane's 17th-minute opener got the ball rolling for the Saints, who were three clear shortly into the second half thanks to Ryan Bertrand and Toby Alderweireld.
Eagles defender Scott Dann headed in a late consolation for Neil Warnock's men, but it was not enough to prevent them from falling into the bottom three following a sixth straight game without victory.
Meanwhile, the three points lift Southampton above West Ham United and back into the top four.
Here, Sports Mole analyses whether the result was reflective of the Boxing Day action in London.
Match statistics
PALACE
Shots: 11
On target: 4
Possession: 43%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 15
SOUTHAMPTON
Shots: 13
On target: 4
Possession: 57%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 10
Was the result fair?
Southampton's opening goal came in a period when the game was very much even, but two patterns of play emerged during the rest of the contest. Palace were really on the front foot in minutes 30-45, but could not create many chances, and Southampton came out strongly after the break and quickly killed the match off. It was an eight-minute period at the start of the second half which decided where the points were going and that went firmly in Southampton's favour.
Palace's performance
Warnock made a couple of changes to his defensive four and that seemed to disrupt Palace slightly. They could neither deal with Graziano Pelle in the air or Mane running in behind. In front of them, the engine room of Mile Jedinak, James McArthur and Joe Ledley provided them with the energy to wrestle control of possession midway through the first half, but not the spark to turn their superiority into chances. The lack of a vocal point in attack continues to be a problem and this will be something that Warnock will look to address on the morning of January 1. It was a fifth home defeat of the season for the Eagles, whose fans showed their displeasure at their manager in the second half. Selhurst Park is certainly not the fortress that it was under Tony Pulis last season, and they need to correct that if they are to get back out of the drop zone.
Southampton's performance
Ronald Koeman will be really pleased that his side are back on the winning trail, having now recorded consecutive victories following six matches in all competitions without. They were far from their best in the first half, but the combination between Mane and Ward-Prowse for the opening goal was the best move of the match. Two strikes from defenders in the early stages of the second period effectively sealed them the points and illustrated one of their strengths - that they have goals in them all over the pitch. That quick double salvo allowed Koeman to rest the likes of Steven Davis, Pelle and Nathaniel Clyne in the second half, while having Morgan Schneiderlin, Victor Wanyama and Dusan Tadic back to fitness will give them fresh energy to take into big games over the rest of the festive period.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Sadio Mane: The Senegalese winger was asked to play in a central role and performed very well, smarting with his well-taken goal on 17 minutes. He also supplied Bertrand with Southampton's second and was a constant menace to the Palace defence with his trickery and movement. Will be a miss when he departs for the Africa Cup of Nations next month.
Biggest gaffe
Warnock may accept being undone by the higher-quality players at Southampton's disposal, as per the first two goals, but there is no excuse for conceding from set pieces. Alderweireld was given a free run to meet Ward-Prowse's corner and powered a header past Julian Speroni. He simply wanted it more.
Referee performance
Mike Dean is one of the Premier League's most senior officials and will have had few easier afternoons than this. He showed only one yellow card - to Palace's Damien Delaney - and can enjoy his Boxing Day buffet safe in the knowledge that he served no injustices to either side today.
What next?
Palace: The relegation-threatened Eagles face a crucial trip to Queens Park Rangers on Sunday.
Southampton: The Saints may see their top-four credentials come under question again should they not pick up at least one positive result against Chelsea and Arsenal in the coming days.
Joe Fish
