Duran lifts Villa to 1-0 home win over struggling Southampton

BIRMINGHAM, England : A first-half strike by Colombian forward Jhon Duran was enough to give Aston Villa all the three points as they beat Southampton 1-0 in the Premier League at home on Saturday.

Duran opened the scoring in the 24th minute, chasing down a long ball, capitalising on some sloppy defending by Southampton defenders Nathan Wood and Taylor Harwood-Bellis, before charging into the box and powering a finish past goalkeeper Joe Lumley.

While the visitors dominated possession, they failed to register a single shot on target in the match, and Villa looked comfortable for the most part as they secured back-to-back victories.

Villa moved to fifth place in the standings with 25 points from 15 matches, while Southampton remain bottom with five points.