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Southampton moved into the Championship play-off places on Wednesday after a 1-0 win over Norwich City at St Mary’s, with Finn Azaz scoring the only goal of the game. The result extended Tonda Eckert’s unbeaten run to 11 matches and lifted Southampton to sixth in the table, three points behind Hull City in fifth.
The home side started with greater urgency and threatened early through Anis Slimane, whose effort forced Daniel Peretz into a smart save. Southampton also thought they had found an opening through Samuel Edozie, only for the finish to be ruled out for offside before the breakthrough eventually arrived.
Southampton took the lead after 25 minutes when James Bree’s throw-in created the opening and Cyle Larin fed Azaz in stride. Finn Azaz attacked the space quickly and finished decisively to give Southampton the advantage in a match carrying significant weight in the race for the top six.
Norwich responded before the interval and looked for a route back through Mathias Kvistgaarden, but his diving header lacked the precision required to trouble Southampton. The visitors remained competitive, yet Southampton carried the lead into the break with their defensive structure largely intact.
The second half opened with chances at both ends. Cyle Larin and Anis Slimane were each denied as both teams searched for the next decisive moment, while Norwich continued to push for an equaliser without finding the final touch needed in front of goal.
Kenny McLean then produced a dipping strike that caused concern for Southampton as Norwich increased the pressure. At the other end, Daniel Peretz recovered well after an earlier error and made an important stop to deny Kellen Fisher, preserving the narrow margin as the game moved into its closing phase.
Southampton were forced to defend their lead late on, but they still carried a threat in transition. Substitute Shea Charles nearly added a second on the break, only for Vladan Kovacevic to produce an eye-catching save and keep Norwich within reach until the final moments.
The victory continued a strong run for Southampton at St Mary’s under Eckert. The Saints have now lost only one of their 12 home league matches under his management, winning eight and drawing three, with four victories from their last five home games. Hull City remain the only team to beat Southampton at home during that stretch, winning 2-1 in January.
Finn Azaz once again proved decisive against Norwich City. The Southampton midfielder has now recorded five goal involvements in his last seven league appearances against the Canaries, with four goals and one assist across that sequence.
Norwich may feel they did enough to take something from the contest after finishing with 1.11 expected goals compared to Southampton’s 0.58. Southampton, however, found the finish that mattered and held on long enough to turn a tense night at St Mary’s into a significant result in the Championship play-off race.