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Gareth Davis reports from Pride Park Stadium

Adam Lallana netted the only goal of the game four minutes before the hour-mark to send Derby to a 1-0 defeat and take all three points back to the South Coast.

Up to the moment of his scrambled effort there hadn't been a great deal to choose between the two teams with both goalkeepers making fine saves.

Nacer Barazite added some spark after his half-time introduction but he couldn't fashion an equaliser as the Saints held on despite Derby enjoying plenty of possession.

Tito Villa - fresh from a behind-closed-doors treble against Leicester City in midweek - was called in to start against Southampton and take the place of Nathan Ellington, who was among the substitutes.

Also on the bench was Nacer Barazite, signed on loan from Arsenal and another to impress against the Foxes, while Steve Davies returned to the first XI and took over from Andrejs Pereplotkins.

The visitors included former Derby man Lee Holmes from the off but ex-Pride Park loanee Stern John was only among their substitutes.

Holmes looked to be breaking through with seconds on the clock but he was snuffed out and the tone for Derby's start was soon set by some stirring challenges to lift the home crowd.

One particular meaty Kris Commons block dumped Simon Gillett on the floor and was backed up by Robbie Savage's typical snapping at his opponents.

The persistence of Tyrone Mears down the right produced the Rams' first opportunity and it fell for Paul Green, a scorer at Bristol City seven days ago, but his goalbound effort was blocked away by Chris Perry.

However the scoring was almost opened at the other end on 11 minutes by an ex-Ram returning to his old ground.

The Saints took advantage of Jay McEveley losing his footing to send Holmes away through the middle and only a fine Roy Carroll block denied him, before Martin Albrechtsen cleaned things up by heading the ball over his own bar.

Rob Hulse might have done better soon afterwards as the visitors inexplicably let a long Carroll clearance bounce inside their box, giving Derby's number 11 a great opportunity, but from a tightening angle he couldn't get enough power on his shot.

Carroll was again to the rescue on 19 as David McGoldrick strode clear for an almost identical chance to the one Holmes couldn't take, and Derby's number one was equal to the challenge with another fine block.

Saints, to their credit, were playing some neat attacking football with their diamond-shaped front-four of Holmes, Adam Lallana, Jamie White and McGoldrick, with the latter the pivotal man at the top.

Indeed, shortly before the half-hour, another swift move forward ended with Albrechtsen's last-ditch challenge sending McGoldrick's 20-yarder spinning over the crossbar.

Derby's best opportunity arrived on 38 minutes and it owed plenty to the endeavour of Commons, who made ground on the left and recovered when it looked as if he had lost the ball before pulling it back to Robbie Savage.

The Rams' skipper, however, couldn't keep his 14-yard effort under control and watched in frustration as it flew over the crossbar.

His Southampton counterpart Michael Svensson picked up the afternoon's first caution in first-half stoppage-time for a foul on Hulse, on a barnstorming run down the left, and Derby piled on the pressure from Commons's free-kick.

Albrechtsen eventually saw his shot deflected for a corner, that Villa powered goalwards only for Davis to produce a fine save, but the half-time whistle blew with the resulting flag-kick still bouncing around dangerously.

Derby switched things around at half-time with Dean Leacock replacing Claude Davis at the back, while Barazite was introduced for his debut in place of Steve Davies.

The 18-year-old, on loan from Arsenal until December, took up a place on the left of the Rams' midfield wth Commons starting out on the right.

But it was the visitors who had the second half's first threat and it again came from their fluent attack as first White, and then McGoldrick, worked the ball well for Holmes to fire narrowly past the far post from a tight angle.

They did well again on 51 minutes and McGoldrick pulled the trigger from just inside the box, only for Leacock to deflect his shot over the bar for an ultimately fruitless corner.

The pressure contnued as Lallana curled a left-footer just past the post with Saints attacking their fans in the Winfield South Stand.

Defence turned to attack as Commons chased through on a long ball and was denied by the out-rushing Davis but Saints were celebrating 11 minutes in.

White broke down the right and his cross found Lallana, whose first effort was superbly saved by Carroll from close-range, and his second bounced down off the crossbar.

The assistant referee on the nearside flagged to confirm the ball had crossed the line with McGoldrick there to make sure just in case.

Pride Park, having rocked for most of the game, was strangely quiet as the Rams looked to find a way back in to the game.

Nathan Ellington - scorer of a hat-trick on his last Pride Park outing - was introduced for Hulse on the hour as Paul Jewell rolled his substitution dice for the last time.

His header from a looping Commons cross on 64 had Davis stretching to grab, though the visiting keeper didn't look too troubled..

The Duke's running power was causing problems for the visiting defence though and he again had them worried seven minutes later as he stretched away down the left before pulling the ball back for Green, whose powerful effort wasn't far off-target.

But McGoldrick almost doubled the lead with a header that crashed off the bar after Gillett tricked his way down the right and crossed well.

And he was close again with 11 minutes remaining, Holmes this time the architect, and only Carroll's athleticism prevented Saints from going two clear.

Holmes received a fine reception from all corners of Pride Park when he was substituted with seven minutes remaining, though his replacement Stern John was less warmly welcomed by the home faithful.

But all the Saints did was ride time out well and they enjoyed plenty of late possession in the Derby half to ensure they left with all three points.

Derby: Carroll, McEveley, Green, Commons, Savage (C), Villa, Hulse (Ellington 60), Mears, Davies (Barazite HT), C Davis (Leacock HT), Albrechtsen.

Substitutes: Bywater (GK), Kazmierczak.

Southampton: K Davis, Perry, Svensson (C), Surman, Holmes (John 83), McGoldrick, Schneiderlin, Lallana, Gillett, James (Cork 70), White (Wotton 66).

Substitutes: Bialkowski (GK), Dyer.

Attendance: 27,032 (1,098 visiting fans).