Southampton 3-1 Birmingham City: Post-match review, Stats, Key moments

Dive into Ladbrokes’ post-match review of Southampton 3-1 Birmingham City in the Championship on Saturday, 06 December 2025, with stats, key moments and our take on the match.

Southampton beat Birmingham City 3-1 at home. The hosts took an early lead when Finn Azaz scored in the sixth minute, assisted by Leo Scienza, and Adam Armstrong doubled it in the 24th minute with Azaz providing the assist. Southampton, coming off a mixed run with a recent loss to Millwall but wins against Leicester and others, looked sharp in attack early on.

Birmingham City, who had been in decent form with a win over Watford and a draw at West Brom, pulled one back through Demarai Gray in the 54th minute, assisted by Alex Cochrane, but Armstrong quickly restored the two-goal cushion in the 58th. Late yellow cards came for Birmingham’s Tomoki Iwata in the 49th and Southampton’s Joe Aribo in stoppage time, but the hosts held firm to secure the points. This result builds on Southampton’s strong home performances against teams like Sheffield Wednesday.

Birmingham City dominated possession with 60% compared to Southampton’s 40%, suggesting they controlled much of the midfield play, yet Southampton made the most of their chances on the counter. The visitors also led in successful dribbles at 80 to 30 and had one more corner with eight against seven, pointing to more attacking intent, but their single assist compared to Southampton’s two shows the hosts were more clinical in creating goals.

Both sides used all five substitutions, with Southampton making changes from the 63rd minute onwards, including Cameron Archer replacing Adam Armstrong and others like Joe Aribo coming on for Finn Azaz at 80 minutes, while Birmingham brought on players like Kyogo Furuhashi for Marvin Ducksch at 59 minutes. Each team picked up one yellow card, with no reds, and there were no penalties or injury-time goals to shift the momentum late on.

Southampton struck first in the sixth minute as Finn Azaz found the net with an assist from Leo Scienza, setting a strong tone, and Adam Armstrong added another in the 24th, again assisted by Azaz. Birmingham responded after the break with Demarai Gray’s goal in the 54th, assisted by Alex Cochrane, but Armstrong’s second in the 58th proved decisive in sealing the win.

Substitutions impacted the flow, with Southampton replacing Adam Armstrong with Cameron Archer at 63 minutes and Leo Scienza with Jay Robinson a minute later, while Birmingham made double changes at 59 minutes, including Jack Robinson for Alex Cochrane. Yellow cards went to Tomoki Iwata in the 49th for Birmingham and Joe Aribo in the 90+2nd for Southampton, but these did not lead to any major turning points.

Southampton lined up in a 3-4-2-1 shape, which allowed them to absorb pressure and hit on the break, with Finn Azaz and Adam Armstrong forming a key attacking partnership that delivered goals and assists early on. Leo Scienza contributed to the opener before making way for Jay Robinson, while later changes saw Joe Aribo replace Azaz and Oriol Romeu come on for Caspar Jander in midfield.

Birmingham City set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, relying on width and possession to build attacks, with Demarai Gray proving effective in the final third by scoring their only goal before being replaced by Lewis Koumas late on. Alex Cochrane provided the assist for Gray’s strike prior to Jack Robinson taking his place, and Tomoki Iwata’s yellow card highlighted some defensive frustrations in midfield.

Finn Azaz earned Ladbrokes’ Man of the Match award for his standout performance, netting one goal in the sixth minute and providing an assist for Adam Armstrong’s first in the 24th. With one key pass and his overall influence in attack, he was central to Southampton’s victory before being replaced by Joe Aribo at 80 minutes.

Recent Championship matches:

• Win: 3-1 vs Birmingham City (H)
• Loss: 2-3 vs Millwall (A)
• Win: 3-0 vs Leicester City (H)
• Win: 5-1 vs Charlton Athletic (A)
• Win: 3-1 vs Sheffield Wednesday (H)

Recent Championship matches:

• Loss: 1-3 vs Southampton (A)
• Win: 2-1 vs Watford (H)
• Draw: 1-1 vs West Bromwich Albion (A)
• Win: 4-1 vs Norwich City (H)
• Loss: 1-2 vs Middlesbrough (A)

Southampton have just beaten Birmingham City 3-1 at home, a result that keeps them in 11th place on 27 points after a run of form including wins over Leicester City and Charlton Athletic but a recent loss to Millwall. They next face ...

Birmingham City have just lost 3-1 away to Southampton, leaving them eighth on 28 points following a mixed spell with a win against Watford and a draw at West Brom but defeats to Middlesbrough and now this. Their next match is against ...

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Odds and market details are accurate as of the time of publication.