Aston Villa dropped into the Premier League's relegation zone thanks to a 1-0 defeat at home to fellow strugglers Southampton this afternoon.

Controversy surrounded the winning goal, as Jay Rodriguez won a penalty despite there appearing to be no contact between the Southampton striker and Enda Stevens. Nevertheless, Rickie Lambert stepped up to convert the resultant penalty to give his side a crucial three points.

Below, Sports Mole looks back over the action to determine if it was a harsh result on Villa.

Match statistics:

Villa:
Shots 16
On target 10
Possession 56%
Corners 9
Fouls 9

Southampton:
Shots 11
On target 4
Possession 44%
Corners 5
Fouls 6

Was the result fair?

Those statistics will tell you that Villa deserved something from this encounter. However, there was an air of desperation about their display in the second half as they went in search of an equaliser. On very few occasions did they manage to really test Artur Boruc in the away goal. Whereas, the Saints were composed throughout and defended well when they needed to. With that in mind, it's a deserved three points for Nigel Adkins's team.

Villa's performance

Nobody can knock the effort that the Villa put in, particularly in the second half. But the truth of the matter is that there is distinct lack of quality and experience among Paul Lambert's ranks. They were lucky to go in at the break just 1-0 down. However, had Darren Bent been on the pitch, they would probably have taken something from the match. He would have converted the chances that Christian Benteke missed.

Southampton's performance

We saw both sides of Southampton today. When the chance arose, they got forward in numbers and played some neat passing football along the floor. Then, when they were required to defend, they did so well and bravely. When their rearguard was breached, Boruc was on hand to make a number of smart saves.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Luke Shaw: The 17-year-old's afternoon ended seven minutes early when he was stretchered off with a leg injury. Prior to that though the youngster put in a really mature performance. Not only can he defend, the full-back also got forward well and almost found the net in the first half.

Biggest gaffe

Take your pick from either of Benteke's misses in the second half. Twice he had Boruc stranded, but on both occasions he sent the ball way over the crossbar. As mentioned earlier, it's hard to believe that Bent would have missed those.

Referee performance

A very efficient afternoon's work from Mark Halsey. Even when the tempers boiled towards the end, the referee kept his cool and also kept his cards in his pocket. He may get in trouble with his superiors for awarding the penalty, but in fairness Rodriguez did him no favours by hitting the deck dramatically.

What next?

Villa: Lambert's team have a Midlands derby next Saturday evening when they travel to West Bromwich Albion.

Southampton: On Wednesday the Saints have a tricky-looking trip to European champions Chelsea.