Southampton on their way up, says Flitcroft after Reds suffer loss

Adam Lallana struck either side of half-time at St Mary’s to make it nine games unbeaten for Nigel Adkins’s Southampton.

Although Saints went into the game as the team in form, the Yorkshire side began brightly and dominated for the first half-hour.

David Cotterill was inches away from connecting with a superb cross from the returning Frank Nouble and then curled a long-range effort just wide, with the unmarked Stephen Foster glancing the winger’s corner well wide in between times.

Saints, who had half-chances through Rickie Lambert and Tadanari Lee, made the Yorkshire side pay for their misses.

Lambert nodded a long ball into the path of Lallana, who fired past Barnsley goalkeeper Luke Steele.

And nine minutes after the break he scored the all-important second when Lee beat his man on the wing, cut in along the by-line and left Lallana with an easy finish in the six-yard box.

Barnsley, second-best for the entire half, only went close once when substitute Danny Rose headed Matt Done’s free-kick against the post.

Assistant manager Flitcroft, in charge of Barnsley in place of the ill Hill, said: “For the first 35 minutes play was very balanced but that changed when they scored.

“They settled down and from there it was very difficult to stop them. Some of their play was outstanding and they overwhelmed us. If they continue playing the football they played today I have no doubt they will go up, and they deserve that.

“The manager came down with a bug yesterday and told me I was going to take the team. It has been a great experience for me.”

Southampton: Davis, Richardson, Hooiveld, Fonte, Fox, Do Prado, Schneiderlin, Hammond, Lallana (Sharp 80), Lee (Connolly 65), Lambert (Cork 61). Unused substitutes: Martin, De Ridder.

Barnsley: Steele, Wiseman, Foster, McNulty, McEveley, Cotterill (Rose 58), Doyle, Dawson (Digby 57), Done (Dagnall 78), Davies, Nouble. Unused substitutes: Preece, Noble-Lazarus.

Referee: D Phillips (West Sussex).

Man of the match: Adam Lallana.