SHANE STRIKE FIRST IN NINE MONTHS

RALPH HASENHUTTL celebrated his side’s gritty win with a theatrical bow in front of the relieved away following.

But for many frustrated home fans, defeat to the struggling 10-man Saints is fresh evidence their boss Claude Puel should exit stage left.

Leicester may be eighth in the Premier League but dissent towards Puel will be turning to open revolt at this rate.

After an embarrassing FA Cup exit at League Two Newport with a weakened team, Puel wheeled out his big guns.

But a lack of imagination in the final third meant star striker Jamie Vardy hardly had a single effort.

Instead Leicester shot themselves in the foot, conceding a daft early penalty which James Ward-Prowse converted.

The visitors had Yan Valery sent off in first-half stoppagetime but still made it 2-0 before half-time through Shane Long’s first goal in nine months.

Despite Leicester dominating the second half, as Wilfred Ndidi pulled a goal back, they failed to stretch keeper Alex McCarthy.

Ex-Southampton coach Puel, whose side were booed off, said: “The fans are disappointed like us. It is a big disappointment. We wanted a good response after our FA Cup game. Our concentration was perhaps too much and we were a little nervous.”

Saints started brightly as Stuart Armstrong played in Long and Nampalys Mendy fouled him with a clumsy challenge.

Referee Michael Oliver rightly pointed to the spot and Ward-Prowse converted a right-foot spot-kick for his first goal of the season.

Foxes goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel got two hands to it at full stretch but couldn’t keep out the 11th-minute opener.

Full-backs Valery and Ben Chilwell both went in the book in the 34th minute for clashing by the touchline.

Valery was then sent off for a second yellow card after a foul on Marc Albrighton in the 45th minute.

But it was Southampton who made it 2-0 when Long escaped from Mendy and Ricardo Pereira and Schmeichel could only divert his right-foot shot into the net.

The hosts halved the deficit when Ndidi deflected in Pereira’s cross from the right in the 58th minute after a good pass from sub Demarai Gray.

Hasenhuttl said: “I am proud of this team. It was a long time to go with 10 men but after the red card we were not frightened.”