Southampton remain rooted to the bottom of the Premier League after Ollie Watkins' second-half header earned Aston Villa a narrow win at St Mary's.
Watkins nodded Douglas Luiz's outswinging free-kick into the bottom corner with 13 minutes remaining as Villa claimed their fifth victory in seven league games under new manager Unai Emery.
The visitors dominated possession but were fortunate not to fall behind midway through the first half when Che Adams' close-range effort was ruled out for offside.
Saints had the ball in the Villa net again shortly after the hour mark, but James Ward-Prowse's deflected strike was chalked off after VAR spotted a foul by Mohamed Elyounoussi in the build-up.