Ten-man Southampton hold on to beat Portsmouth at St Mary’s in south coast derby
Ten-man Southampton held on to beat rivals Portsmouth at St Mary’s on Sunday as Tonda Eckert took his place on the touchline after avoiding an immediate ban. James Bree’s left-footed finish after 20 minutes proved decisive, and Southampton defended the lead despite Cam Bragg’s first-half dismissal for two yellow cards.
Southampton’s manager had been spared an immediate suspension following Wednesday’s ruling in the Spygate case after the club admitted to spying on three opponents last season. The FA independent disciplinary commission handed Eckert a six-week ban that is suspended until the end of the 2027-28 campaign and imposed a £28,000 fine, noting his "genuine contrition". Southampton were also expelled from the playoffs in May and docked four points, a punishment the club felt was sufficient, and both Eckert and Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho welcomed a resolution ahead of Sunday’s game.
Portsmouth made a notable goalkeeper change with Nicolas Schmid selected ahead of Daniel Bielica for the first time in five games; Schmid reacted inside two minutes to block a bobbling Cyle Larin shot after Larin had taken down Ryan Manning’s diagonal long ball. The early exchanges produced a flare-up when Manning bumped chests with Ebou Adams following a Portsmouth free-kick.
The goal arrived when Jayden Meghoma lost James Bree from a wide left position after Finn Azaz clipped a ball in behind, allowing Bree to guide a left-footed finish into the far corner. Adams played a prominent role for Portsmouth, twice winning the ball from Bragg in the Southampton half and drawing yellow cards on both occasions.
Bragg, described in the report as a 20-year-old lifelong Saints fan from Winchester, was shown a second yellow for tugging Adams’s shirt and was consoled by teammates as he left the pitch. Colby Bishop and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen threatened to equalise before half-time, and after the break Leo Scienza wasted a counterattack opportunity.
Tensions continued after the restart when Azaz, frustrated at not receiving a free-kick, lunged on the touchline and received a yellow card from referee Adam Herczeg. Eckert exchanged a smile with the fourth official moments later, and with Bree being treated for a cut around his eye he brought his remaining midfielders James Ward-Prowse and Flynn Downes together. Portsmouth introduced substitutes including Adrian Segecic, who produced low efforts that went wide, while Zak Swanson’s cut-back was cleared by Jack Stephens from under the Southampton crossbar.
Mousinho used his bench to seek a way through Southampton’s defence, which was marshalled by Jack Stephens and Keven Schlotterbeck in front of goalkeeper Daniel Peretz; Southampton held a clean sheet to finish the match. The victory moved Southampton into the top half of the table— they would be third without the points deduction— and Eckert is now able to approach a promotion push with a clear conscience.