Chris Turner's side got off to a superb start in a thrilling first half when Andy Monkhouse deservedly headed them into the lead with his fifth of the season.

But after surviving the opening 25 minutes just one goal behind, Southampton levelled through the impressive Adam Lallana.

The much sought after 21-year-old doubled his tally early in the second half with an exquisite goal from long range and Pools couldn't recreate their threat from the opening 45 minutes.

Rickie Lambert sealed the points for Southampton after a terrible error from Scott Flinders and Pools were reduced to 10 men with five minutes to go when Ritchie Jones was dismissed for a second yellow card.

Jones' dismissal wasn't the only sour note for Pools with Denis Behan stretchered off after landing heavily from an aerial challenge.

Behan had replaced the injured Colin Larkin (hamstring) in the starting line-up with James Brown moving to the right-hand side of midfield.

Southampton boss Alan Pardew handed right-back Graeme Murty his first start in three months with Lloyd James moving into midfield.

David Connolly stung the hands of Scott Flinders with just 70 seconds on the clock with a 25-yarder from the left-hand side of the area which sailed straight into the keeper's arms.

Andy Monkhouse should have hit the target at least in the fourth minute after meeting Behan's lay-off just inside the area, to the left of goal, with a first-time shot which sailed over the bar.

But MONKHOUSE did find the target in the 17th minute as he put Pools ahead when he finished off a sweeping attack.

The move started on the left flank when Adam Boyd flicked the ball into Monkhouse's path and the winger spread it to the opposite flank with a lovely outside of the boot pass.

The ball was perfect for Brown to find a yard on left-back Dan Harding and his chipped cross found Monkhouse 12 yards out who directed his header with inch-perfect precision into the top corner.

A minute later, Boyd went close with a glancing header two yards wide of the post.

Neil Austin whistled a shot two yards wide of former Pools loanee Kelvin Davies' left-hand post in the 23rd minute after Brown twisted and turned down the right flank and teed up the right-back 25 yards out.

Southampton top scorer Rickie Lambert spurned a glorious opportunity to draw the visitors level in the 27th minute.

James' lofted cross from the right found its way to the far post where Adam Lallana threw himself at a diving header.

Flinders did well to parry at his near post but the ball rebounded straight into the path of Lambert who skied his effort over the top from six yards.

But the Saints did draw level two minutes after Lambert's back-heel sent LALLANA clean through on goal.

The England U21 international kept his cool and slotted the ball between Flinders' legs from 12 yards.

Three minutes before the break, Pools had a narrow escape after Lallana flashed a ball across the six-yard box which Lambert just couldn't get a touch to.

A minute later, Southampton centre-half Radhi Jaidi struck lucky after he met Brown's cross from the right with a diving header which went inches wide of his own post.

HALF-TIME Pools 1 Southampton 1

Eight minutes into the second half, Southampton got their noses ahead with a goal of real quality from LALLANA.

The winger drifted inside from the left flank along the edge of the area after collecting Lambert's knock-down and curled a sublime right-footed shot beyond Flinders into the far corner.

Behan let fly with a free-kick from 40 yards in the 58th minute which forced Davis to tip around his post low to his left.

From Ritchie Humphreys' resulting corner, Davis made a spectacular save to deny Sam Collins as he tipped the captain's header over the top.

But Davis injured himself making the save and was replaced by Polish stopper Batosz Bialkowski.

Pools were forced into a change of their own in the 66th minute when Behan was stretchered off after landing heavily from an aerial challenge. Billy Greulich replaced the Irishman.

Southampton's victory was confirmed in the 82nd minute after a calamitous error from Flinders.

The Pools goalkeeper received a strong back pass from Collins which he controlled but then blasted straight at LAMBERT.

The ball bounced back towards Flinders but he couldn't pick it up and Lambert was left with the simplest of tasks to tap into the empty net.

Things went from bad to worse three minutes later after Ritchie Jones was dismissed for a second yellow card.

The booking followed an ugly brawl between both sets of players which also resulted in yellow cards for Southampton's Paul Wotton and substitute Michail Antonio.

FULL-TIME Pools 1 Southampton 3

Pools: Flinders, Austin, Collins, Liddle, Hartley, Brown, Humphreys, Jones, Monkhouse, Boyd, Behan (Greulich 66). Subs not used: Cook, Clark, McSweeney, Sweeney, Fredriksen, Bjornsson. Booked: Jones (68). Sent off Jones (85)

Southampton: Davis (Bialkowski 61), James, Trotman, Jaidi, Harding, Murty, Hammond, Schneiderlin (Wotton 68), Lallana, Lambert, Connolly (Antonio 81). Subs not used: N'Diaye, Mellis, Thomas, Perry. Booked: Schneiderlin (54), Wotton (85), Trotman (85)

Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire)

Attendance: 3818 (635 away)