SAINTS got back to winning ways at home after defeats against Hull City and Millwall with a 4-2 victory over Sunderland.
It meant Russell Martin's side avoided a third loss in a row against opposition with a feline-related nickname.
Saints beating the Black Cats helped cut the lead of their promotion rivals with Leicester City and Ipswich Town dropping points.
Here are our biggest talking points from the match...
Joe Rothwell has got something about him!
The 29 year old has four goals in the Championship since joining and they have all come in the same net.
All of them have been into the same left side of the goal in front of the Chapel stand and three of them were with one touch.
Equally, all four have come in games Rothwell has started on the bench - he is proving himself to be something of an impact sub.
He has tended to disappear in some games he has played in for Saints and it is fair to say his start has been a mixed bag.
But there can be no denying he has got something a little bit special and it is not just the way he can drive with the ball at speed.
Admittedly, Rothwell will find it hard to win starts with Stuart Armstrong, Will Smallbone and Joe Aribo operating in his positions.
Defensive woes not fixed in a week
Martin is really keen to keep captain Jack Stephens in the team and on an individual basis, most of his performances have been very good.
He is at risk of becoming the newest scapegoat after Ryan Manning and Will Smallbone but the defensive figures are a worry.
Saints went 16 games without conceding twice in a league game between October-February and most were with the same back four.
In looking to find an answer to shipping three against Huddersfield and Bristol City, Martin's changes have not provided a solution.
The boss insists there is no pattern to the goals conceded and they are just rubbish moments of concentration or action.
But after allowing 15 goals in the last seven league games they must improve if they want to catch the top two.
Russell Martin's substitutes had a mixed impact
Saints seemed to lose all control and composure after Martin made two changes to his team before the hour-mark.
He brought off the impressive Smallbone and David Brooks with Kamaldeen Sulemana and Aribo on in their place.
Just over 10 minutes later, Sunderland had drawn level and had their opponents panicking on the ropes.
Martin's next changes, to introduce Rothwell and James Bree, added the spark and addressed Southampton's solidity just in time.
Equal to the criticism for the first two changes, Martin should be issued praise for the second round which went on to win the match.
But whether Martin felt the game would be comfortable or not, it looked like his changes derailed the performance and nearly the result.
The boss has had a mostly successful season of mid-match changes and will need that to continue for the remaining 10 games.
When will it come for Kamaldeen Sulemana?
The Ghanaian international winger is an interesting, exciting and frustrating player to watch all in one.
Kamaldeen so reliably beats his man one-on-one but lacks the clinical incisiveness to make the good areas he gets himself into count.
It is not the 22 year old's fault that he cost Saints a club-record £22million and he should not be judged differently from others for that.
However, he is still looking for his first goal of the season and has had several chances to get it in his last few outings.
Sometimes his shooting his too tame while his low crosses are often cut out, winning Saints set-pieces in the process.
Kamaldeen has done a lot of work with Martin on what he demands positionally to make himself available for selection.
But with Ryan Fraser coming back from injury at the end of the month, has his biggest opportunity passed him by?
Juan Larios back at St Mary's as he continues injury recovery
The Spaniard has celebrated his 19th and 20th birthdays since his last appearance for Saints.
Larios suffered multiple injury setbacks including on his under-21 return and in an international break training session.
The former Man City defender spent many months in his native country on rehab but is now back working towards a return at Staplewood.
Given the length of his injury layoff - since October 2022 - Martin does not expect Larios to be involved at all this season.
However, he was in attendance at St Mary's alongside Fraser ahead of kick-off against Sunderland on Saturday.
It was good to see the £5million man in the building and we hope he will come back to play for the club again with a pre-season behind him.
Injured players Ryan Fraser and Juan Larios among those here in attendance.#SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/ACwYgNTpVV
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) March 9, 2024
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