Southampton returned to form by claiming a 3-0 victory over Everton in the Premier League.

The Saints took the lead when Romelu Lukaku diverted a corner into his own net.

Graziano Pelle poked in a second shortly after the hour mark after latching onto Shane Long's header.

With eight minutes left to play, they sealed the points as Maya Yoshida headed in a third.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at St Mary's Stadium.

Match Statistics:

SOUTHAMPTON:
Shots 11
On Target 3
Possession 44%
Corners 4
Fouls 11

EVERTON:
Shots 13
On Target 4
Possession 56%
Corners 6
Fouls 10

Was the result fair?

While the final scoreline may flatter Southampton, there can be no denying that they were the better side. They showed far more purpose going forward than their opponents and clinically dispatched all of their three attempts on target. It had actually been a very even game up until the first goal, but it provided a huge boost in confidence for the Saints. While the statistics show that Everton saw plenty of the ball, it can be argued that they just did not do enough with it to hurt the home side.

Southampton's performance

Southampton were not at their sparkling early-season best, but they picked up the three points to end their barren run. Confidence must have been low after suffering five successive defeats, and it took them a while to really get into their stride. They had a decent chance early on when Pelle headed over the bar, and they should have been awarded a penalty when Long was brought down by Phil Jagielka inside the box, but the referee waved away their appeals.

Moments after they were denied that spot kick came the turning point of the encounter, as the Saints took the lead. It was a rather fortuitous goal, as Lukaku glanced a corner into his own net. The whole complexion of the tie changed and Ronald Koeman's side then looked far more comfortable on the ball. They held firm, never looked like conceding, and were able to add two more goals to put the seal on a good win. With such an important run of games to come over the festive period, it was vital that they got back on track and they are now only three points behind third-place Manchester United in the table.

Everton's performance

The Toffees will argue that there was not much separating the sides until they fell behind, but they lacked a positive response when they did concede. There was nothing wrong with their passing game, and they had decent control of the possession, but they failed to get in behind a rigid Southampton defence. Lukaku in particular struggled and he rarely showed the type of explosive strength that he is capable of.

Roberto Martinez will not have been happy about the first goal, but he would have been particularly angered by the defending for the second. His players failed to deal with a cross from Nathaniel Clyne, and Long flicked the ball on for Pelle to prod in from close range. The third was another poor piece of defending as too much space was allowed for Yoshida to head in. It must surely be a worry that the Blues have now lost their past three games away from home, with their last victory on the road coming at Burnley almost two months ago.

Sports Mole's man of the match

James Ward-Prowse: The 20-year-old has only recently returned from an injury layoff, but he was at the heart of his team's best moves today. He set up the first goal with a great delivery from a corner and he looked good on the ball all afternoon.

Biggest gaffe

Lukaku may have been under pressure when he put the ball into his own net, but the Belgian should have done far better in that situation. He is usually a reliable presence when helping his team out at the back, but his positioning was all wrong and it allowed the Saints to take the lead at a vital stage in the match.

Referee's performance

Jonathan Moss was not a popular man in Southampton today. He was already being booed by the home crowd when he decided to give a corner instead of a penalty, when it seemed certain that Long had been brought down by Jagielka. The Saints managed to score from the resulting set piece, so that ended up sparing the referee's blushes somewhat.

What next?

Southampton: The Saints face a trip to Selhurst Park to play Crystal Palace on Boxing Day.

Everton: Next up for Everton is a home fixture against Stoke City on Boxing Day.