Adam Armstrong goal piles pressure on Villa boss Dean Smith

Dean Smith's Aston Villa have now lost five successive matches

Southampton's Adam Armstrong celebrates after scoring his side's early winner. Picture: AP Photo/Frank Augstein

An early goal by Adam Armstrong was enough to give Southampton victory against Aston Villa and heap more pressure on Dean Smith, the Villa manager.

His team has now lost five successive matches and although they improved after a dismal first half, they looked increasingly unlikely to salvage anything as the second period wore on. That victory over Manchester United on September 25 is becoming a distant memory.