SAINTS weathered early storms in both halves on a windy afternoon to enact revenge on Everton with a 2-0 win at St Mary’s.

Stuart Armstrong and Shane Long scored their first Premier League goals of the campaign in the second-half to put well-deserved distance between Saints and Toffees.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin had an opener rightly disallowed for offside at the start of the second period, but a sell-out St Mary’s crowd helped see the side through to keep a first clean sheet in the league since the win over Aston Villa at the start of November.

Ralph Hasenhuttl was forced into one change from the stellar performances at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Old Trafford with Romain Perraud ruled out through a positive COVID test and Tino Livramento his replacement.

Elsewhere, both sides were unchanged from their last outings, as Everton recorded a first win under the stewardship of Frank Lampard with a 3-0 hammering of Leeds United.

And it was the visiting side who started the most threatening, as Saints survived a coming together between Livramento and Anthony Gordon inside the area before a VAR check for a potential Oriol Romeu handball.

Armando Broja had an effort saved at the other end as the home side looked to string more than a couple passes together, while Jordan Pickford also turned a good James Ward-Prowse free-kick behind for a corner.

As Saints grew into the game, Jan Bednarek struck the crossbar with a header – but the flag was already up.

The other side of the half-time break, the visitors had the ball in the net. Calvert-Lewin turned in at the back-post but Richarlison was offside as it came across him and he attempted to divert its path.

Everton had come out of the break looking the better side, similar to the first-half, but were punished for failing to make it pay.

A swift counter led by the imperious Romeu saw Che Adams feed Armstrong, and the Scot rifled in low to Pickford’s left from just inside the area, within seven minutes of the half.

Armstrong then had another effort dip just over the bar, before Moi Elyounoussi’s header at the back-post crashed off the woodwork and over.

Kyle Walker-Peters continued to prove his effectiveness on the left in Perraud’s absence, coming close to his second Premier League goal on a number of occasions.

Broja wanted to add to his account with his last touch of the afternoon, pulling a shot just wide of the far-post from a tight angle – before Long came on in his place with under 10 minutes to play.

The Irishman latched onto a deep, wicked Livramento cross to head Saints’ second with his very first touch of the ball, with slim hopes of an Everton fightback dashed.

Saints: Forster; Livramento, Bednarek, Salisu, Walker-Peters; Romeu, Ward-Prowse, S Armstrong (Djenepo, 90), Elyounoussi; Broja (Long, 82), Adams (A Armstrong, 90)

Unused subs: Valery, Stephens, Diallo, Smallbone, Walcott, Caballero (g/k)

Everton: Pickford; Coleman, Keane, Holgate, Kenny; Allan (Gomes, h-t), Van De Beek, Iwobi (Townsend, 65), Gordon (Dele, 74); Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin

Unused subs: Patterson, Mykolenko, Branthwaite, El Ghazi, Rondon, Begovic (g/k)

Booked: Allan, Calvert-Lewin

Referee: Andy Madley

VAR: Andre Marriner