With nothing but pride to play for, this would-be end-of-season ‘six-pointer’ had little riding on it for these Championship-bound clubs.
Unsurprisingly, given their lowly league positions, neither side carried any real form into the contest, but it was Leicester who broke the deadlock, netting their first home league goal in 10 matches when Jamie Vardy swept home his 199th Leicester goal from Bilal El Khannouss’s low cross.
A bizarre stoppage in play soon followed, with referee David Webb forced off injured after colliding with Jordan Ayew, which prompted Jamie Vardy to blow the whistle, halting play before fourth official Sam Barrott eventually stepped in 10 minutes later.
However, the Foxes picked up where they left off following the restart, doubling their lead through Ayew, whose initial free-kick attempt struck the wall, allowing him to rifle a rebound through a crowd and beyond Aaron Ramsdale’s reach.
The hosts remained largely on top in the second period, coming close to a third goal when El Khannouss jinked into the box, popping the ball through Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ legs before bending an effort over the bar.
With the hour mark approaching, the Saints briefly thought they’d halved the deficit, but Mateus Fernandes was adjudged to have bundled home from an offside position.
A turnaround never looked on the cards following the disallowed goal, with Southampton failing to muster any real momentum as time ticked away.
In fact, Leicester appeared the more likely to add to the scoreline, again coming close through El Khannouss, who dragged wide after carrying the ball a long way. A home debut for 16-year-old Jake Evans capped off a pleasing afternoon for the Foxes, who ultimately saw out a rather comfortable victory.
Having avoided the ignominy of becoming only the second team in English league history to fail to score in 10 successive home games, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s already-relegated side close in on 18th-placed Ipswich, who claimed a point against Everton.
As for Southampton, a bottom-placed finish is now guaranteed as the south coast side continue to search for a point that would avoid them equalling Derby's lowest-ever PL points return.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Bilal El Khannouss (Leicester City)