Carlos Alcaraz's composed finish was the difference as Southampton earned a vital 1-0 win over Leicester at St Mary's to move off the bottom of the Premier League table
January signing Alcaraz's first-half strike (35) came minutes after Danny Ward had saved a James Ward-Prowse penalty and it proved decisive on the south coast between two sides battling to avoid relegation
Kelechi Iheanacho wasted three good chances before Harry Souttar hit the bar with a header seconds before the final whistle as Leicester failed to break down a determined Southampton, who picked up their first Premier League home victory since August
The result sees Southampton climb above Bournemouth, who  earlier in the day, and move one point behind 17th-placed Leeds
Leicester are 15th, three points above the drop zone after suffering their third consecutive league defeat
Southampton went into this fixture winless in eight Premier League home games, a run of matches stretching all the way back to the visit of Chelsea to St Mary's in August
Saints boss Ruben Selles made changes and his gamble, including a rare start for Theo Walcott, paid off as they moved off the foot of the table, albeit only on goal difference
 It also provided a welcome lift after the shock midweek FA Cup loss to League Two side Grimsby
Walcott, named in the starting line-up for the first time since before the World Cup, had a half-chance early on after being picked out by Ainsley Maitland-Niles, but his final effort lacked power
Leicester had a half-chance of their own in the 20th minute as Iheanacho got on the end of a James Maddison free-kick but was unable to direct his header goalwards
The majority of the first half had been largely devoid of quality and chances but Southampton received a lifeline in the 30th minute when referee Robert Jones pointed to the penalty spot after Walcott's cross hit Timothy Castagne's hand
However, Ward-Prowse had his spot-kick saved by Ward, who guessed the right way
 The midfielder, known for his free-kick prowess, has missed both penalties he has taken this season for the Hampshire club
Southampton picked themselves up immediately though and found the breakthrough in the 35th minute when the returning Che Adams played through Alcaraz, who raced clear of the Leicester defence before calmly slotting the ball past Ward
 There was a lengthy VAR check for a potential offside on Adams, but the goal was allowed to stand
Alcaraz, signed from Argentine side Racing Club in January, also appeared to injure himself during his celebratory slide and was eventually substituted in the 50th minute
Iheanacho had another headed opportunity fall to him in the first half after being picked out at the far post, but he could only guide the ball wide again
Brendan Rodgers' men looked to drag themselves back into the game, dominating possession and chances
 Another opportunity fell to Iheanacho after Gavin Bazunu's misplaced clearance, but the Leicester forward fired over
The visitors had another opening with almost the final touch of the game as Bazunu failed to deal with a cross into the box, but defender Souttar could only head the ball over via the crossbar
 manager  speaking to : "The performance can always be better
 We didn't have our best game but there are lots of positives we can take, especially three points
"I saw a team working together, suffering together
 We still need to work on some decisions, but we worked through the difficult moments
"I will work on the performance to get it better for next week, but it was important to show the togetherness, to show that we are still alive and we are working as a group
 We are learning together
"We haven't had a great set of results this season
 Facing Manchester United next week is a challenge, but we are going to prepare to win at Old Trafford
"We need to continue to work and I expect us to be better in certain aspects, but we are going to go there and try to win the game
" manager  speaking to : "I'm disappointed with the scoreline, but the performance was what we'd want, and I think the only disappointment was not taking the opportunities that we created
 On another night we would maybe have had three or four goals
"We started well, got into good areas
 We just lacked the little bit of quality that can make the difference
"We lost control for a small period but that period counts
 It's very difficult to dominate a game for 90 minutes
 We are disappointed with the goal, but the players regrouped
 We told them to stay calm at half-time, work the ball into the right areas, and they did that
 The opportunities that we created we just couldn't finish
"We've shown we can score goals, but in the last few games we haven't created as much and haven't taken our chances
 It is something we will continually work on
 The players have the qualities to finish but sometimes you get games like that
"On the relegation battle, Rodgers said: "It's a challenge but if we continue to play like that, we'll get the points we need to stay up
 But it is so tight, right up to mid-table
 There is still a lot of football to play so we stay calm with it
"It is my responsibility to get the team ready and to go again
 We look to the next game now
 We've got a great group of players who are very honest; they had the courage to take the ball and you could see that
 If we can be clinical, we'll win more games
" captain  speaking to : "It's a huge result
 It has been a tough couple of weeks with a few home truths
 You saw a turning point in our season
"I'd rather a free-kick [than a penalty], sometimes you score them, sometimes you don't
 Fair play to the goalkeeper, but three points is better than any goal you can score
"Midweek [the FA Cup defeat by Grimsby] was never near the standard we should be producing
 It is a sign of a good group that we can turn it around
" goalkeeper speaking to :"We've had a real lack of consistency in our games this year
 Ultimately if you don't show that consistency and put the points on the board then you'll be at the wrong end of the table
"Thankfully, we know we have the games there, the quality in the changing room and the characters available to get us out of this mess
""The dressing room is good enough to stay in the Premier League
 There's no doubt about it
"Ruben Selles gave a confident answer when asked about Southampton's chances of avoiding relegation ahead of Saturday's game against Leicester at St Mary's
The 39-year-old Spaniard, who was taking charge of his fourth match since the departure of Nathan Jones, wanted a response to Wednesday's humiliating home defeat by Grimsby in the fifth round of the FA Cup
 He got one
It wasn't pretty, but Southampton dug deep and earned a vital three points to lift them off the bottom of the Premier League table
 They also put an end to a dismal run of form at St Mary's, picking up their first home win in the league since August
In Selles, Southampton appear to have a promising young manager who clearly has faith in his ability to turn the club's fortunes around
 His intelligence and demeanour suggest he could be an astute appointment on the south coast
His players are certainly responding to him so given he has been at the club all season, should he have been made manager earlier? Just 13 games remain and Southampton need more points quickly
 This victory will give them huge belief but it doesn't get any easier