hosts early on but he dragged his effort wide of Asmir Begovic's
post.
Steven Davis had a great chance to bag the first goal of the game
a few moments later, but the Northern Irishman failed to keep
his effort on target.
The hosts continued to dominate proceedings and Morgan
Schneiderlin almost gave them the lead in the 30th minute.
The Frenchman unleashed an unstoppable shot past Begovic
following a corner from Dusan Tadic.
But his rasping effort crashed off the crossbar.
Saints continued to pile the pressure on Mark Hughes' side and
were rewarded for their efforts in three minutes later when
Mane pounced on a rebound to thunder the ball into the top
corner of the net.
The visitors improved in the second period and gave the
homeside more trouble than they did in the first period.
But Saints managed to hold onto their lead and secure their
sixth victory of the season.
Is it an illusion, or do Southampton look so much better after
shifting all that dead wood from their squad in the summer?
Here, the outstanding team of this Premier League season took
another giant leap away from the relegation battle many had
predicted for them, moving above Manchester City and into
second place. "We're going to win the league," their fans
chanted, and they were only half-joking.
It may not have been the 8-0 demolition of Sunderland last
weekend, but what will have made this win all the more
satisfying for Ronald Koeman was the way it showcased both
sides of Southampton: not just the team that have scored more
goals than Manchester City, but the team that have conceded
fewest goals in the Premier League. Time and again, Stoke
pounded against the door in the second half, only to be met
with a wall of tactical discipline and an immaculately-laid offside
trap.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.
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