Southampton did not need reminders from Nathan Dyer. The club are well aware that they have a proud record of producing young talent, with Dyer being one of their alumni thriving elsewhere, like Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott.

Saints also know full well that they need to defend much better if they are to stay in the Premier League and keep Nigel Adkins in a job, so they and their manager could have done without Dyer reinforcing that point here. Nevertheless, the winger came on in the second half to exploit the latest in the continuing series of blunders and deny Southampton a victory that their otherwise fine play would have deserved.

If Adkins is precariously perched on the St Mary's ejector seat, the home crowd were intent on telling his employers that the manager's place in their affections remained secure, with banners and chants proclaiming their faith in the man who guided the club to the Premier League thanks to two promotions in two years. What Adkins needed, of course, was for his team to put in a similarly convincing performance and they set about that in impressive fashion.

A side whose average age was made even younger by the manager's decision to give a full debut to 17-year-old left-back Luke Shaw displayed admirable composure for the majority of the game. Tidy interplay was a feature of the first half from both teams but Southampton carried a greater goal threat.

After a few half-chances at either end they produced the first shot on target in the 14th minute when Rickie Lambert nodded a Jason Puncheon pass to Adam Lallana, who swivelled smartly before letting fly from 18 yards, bringing a solid save from Gerhard Tremmell.

Lallana, one of Saints' youth products who has not been lured away, was a major influence in proceedings, his combinations with Lambert, Gastón Ramírez and the fit-again Jack Cork accounting for much of the hosts' menace. In the 16th minute his lay-back to Ramírez led to the Uruguayan curling a fine effort fractionally wide from 20 yards.

Swansea were showing plenty of slickness too, but not much in the opposing box until Ki Sung-yueng created space for himself with a wonderful shimmy. His ensuing shot from 15 yards was beaten away by Paulo Gazzaniga. Ramírez, revelling between midfield and attack, tested Tremmell with two more respectable shots before José Fonte spurned a chance to break the deadlock in the 36th minute, electing to cross rather than shoot after Lambert found him with a clever free-kick.

Southampton were carved open for the first time early in the second half, when Pablo Hernández got in behind Shaw and pulled the ball back to Wayne Routledge, who whacked wildly over from 16 yards. The threat soon switched back to the other end, with Ki having to make splendid last-ditch intervention to prevent Lambert from converting from close range after more conniving with Ramírez.

Southampton thought they deserved a penalty in the 62nd minute when Lallana tumbled under a challenge from Ashley Williams but instead the midfielder was booked for supposed simulation.

No matter, two minutes later Southampton seized the lead that their play merited. Lambert nodded a long diagonal pass to Morgan Schneiderlin, who encapsulated his side's impressive poise by taking a touch before nodding into the net from close range.

Southampton soon undid all their fine work in familiar fashion. In the 77th minute Gazzaniga put Maya Yoshida under pressure with an ill-advised pass and the centre-back was dispossessed by Dyer, who punished him by racing forward and sending a low shot in off the post. "It was a poor decision by a young goalkeeper but he'll learn from that," Adkins said.

Lambert went close with two late headers and Lallana had another penalty appeal rejected but Southampton could not recover the lead that they had throw away.

Adkins, however, saw enough to reassure him that they will clamber out of the relegation zone and is confident that the chairman, Nicola Cortese, will keep faith with him. "I've good a relationship with the chairman and I think that's been demonstrated with the performance on the field of play and the reaction of the supporters," he said. "Everyone is working hard together to achieve what we set out to do. We're a newly promoted club and you have to learn and keep progressing and I think we're doing that. We're moving in the right direction."