Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy pulled off a number of stunning saves but was not able to rescue a point for his side as they were beaten 1-0 by Newcastle.
McCarthy gave his hopes of an England recall a boost as Allan Saint-Maximin’s second-half strike secured all three points for Steve Bruce’s men over 10-man Southampton at St Mary’s.
Newcastle had failed to score in their last four top-flight outings, but Saint-Maximin’s 79th-minute goal ended the goal drought as Newcastle moved eight points clear of the drop zone.
The result has come at Southampton’s expense however, as the Magpies climbed above their opponents to 13th in the table.
The hosts fought to keep the scores level after Moussa Djenpro’s red card in the 28th minute, with McCarthy making some crucial saves including one from a Matt Ritchie penalty.
The 21-year-old winger’s tackle was reckless and he was deservedly shown a red card after referee Graham Scott consulted the pitch-side monitor before changing his initial decision from yellow to red.
The intensity which encompassed Steve Bruce’s side’s first-half performance was somewhat lacking for much of the second half.
