Southampton ended Swansea City's unbeaten start to the new Championship season as goals from Finn Azaz, Cyle Larin and Leo Scienza gave the Saints an impressive 3-1 victory at St Mary's.

Azaz's smart touch and left-foot finish gave Southampton an early lead before Larin touched in the second – his fifth goal in six league games this season – to put Tonda Eckert's team in control before the break.

Swansea improved in the second half and gave themselves hope of a comeback when Zan Vipotnik swept in his first goal of the campaign from the penalty spot after he had been pulled back by James Bree.

But as the early-season league leaders threw men forward in their search for an equaliser, a rapid Southampton counter-attack ended with the outstanding Scienza stroking home the killer third goal from 16 yards.

Defeat means Swansea slip to second in the table, behind West Ham on goal difference, while a host of sides below have a game in hand.

Southampton are four points worse off having made it three straight home league victories – and 11 goals along the way – at the start of 2026-27.

Swansea's early successes this season were built on an admirable defensive record, with just one league goal conceded before their trip to the south coast.

But Vitor Matos' rearguard were troubled from the outset, with Azaz blazing wastefully over before Swansea were breached for the first time in 449 minutes of league football.

The goal was soft when it came, with Swansea undone from a Ryan Manning throw-in as Flynn Downes fed Azaz and he burst into the box before finding the far corner.

Larin met Bree's cross for Southampton's second goal and Downes hooked over as the home side chased a third before half-time.

Not for the first time this season, Swansea had enjoyed their share of possession but failed to threaten – though they did find a little more attacking menace after the restart.

They also grew in belief after Vipotnik, last year's Championship top scorer, marked just his second league start of this campaign with a coolly taken spot-kick.

Southampton's hopes of a first clean sheet this season were over, but any concern about the result going against them was wiped away when Kuryu Matsuki teed up Scienza to guide in his third goal of the campaign.

Southampton have now lost just one of 20 regular-season home league games since Eckert took charge last November.

Despite their bright start to the campaign, Swansea never looked like becoming the first visiting team since Hull City in January to win a second-tier game on Southampton's patch.

Matos' side have been a tough nut to crack in the opening stages of the season, having conceded only one league goal in their five league outings before this fixture.

But the Swans' defensive record is no longer so eye-catching after Southampton's deserved success.

Eckert's team are in mid-table, though they would now be on top of the league but for the four-point penalty imposed after the spygate scandal.

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert:

"I think St Mary's is special for us and it needs to stay special all season.

"The pitch is in unbelievable condition. It gives us a surface where we can play the football that we are just very good at.

"You play against top of the league. You can respect what they have done in the previous games, but then at the same time we need to show that we are Southampton and this is St Mary's. I think that was important today."

Swansea head coach Vitor Matos:

"Southampton were better than us tonight. First half they were much better, more sharp, clinical as well, finding the players between the lines, which we knew we would be one of their main strengths.

"Then second half I think we were much closer to what we want to be, to what we have showed so far – aggressiveness, much more initiative, much more control, much more desire, much more willing to attack them.

"I think that's how we got paid with a goal for us.

"But when you have this kind of game, you cannot give anything [away]. We need to be as competitive as we can. Unfortunately today we were not for the first half."