Aston Villa v Southampton ratings: Mings 8, Ramsey 7; Diallo 4, Bella-Kotchap 7

Jacob Ramsey netted his first goal of the season to give Aston Villa an unconvincing 1-0 home win over Southampton in the Premier League on Friday that eased the pressure on manager Steven Gerrard.

Ahead of kick-off at Villa Park, there was a minute's silence followed by the national anthem in a tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II. There was also applause from fans in the 70th minute to mark the monarch's 70 years on the throne.

Desperate for a win after collecting four points from their first six games, Villa started positively. Philippe Coutinho wasted two good chances before Ramsey broke the deadlock.

The 21-year-old midfielder struck in the 41st minute, pouncing on a rebound and firing the ball off the underside of the crossbar.

Villa’s performance was workmanlike and far from fluid, in reality doing little to ease long-term fears of the team’s direction in the league under Gerrard. Fourth from the bottom at kickoff, Villa had won just one of their previous 10 league games and did little to suggest they would improve that record for the majority of the first half.

Player ratings from the match can be seen in the picture gallery above.