That Nigel Adkins remains the bookmakers' favourite to be the first Premier League manager sacked this season, despite his Southampton side dismantling Aston Villa with four goals in a swashbuckling late onslaught, only serves to reflect the precarious nature of top-flight football.

With little more than half an hour left to play and trailing to Darren Bent's close-range finish , Adkins cut a disconsolate figure in the home dugout. Having steered Southampton to successive promotions from League One, five defeats from five would have put his position under serious threat.

Were it not for Rickie Lambert's inspired performance as the spearhead of Saints' attack, equalising against the run of play from the edge of the area before rounding off the scoring with a thunderous penalty in the fifth minute of injury time, talk of the chairman, Nicola Cortese, replacing Adkins with Rafael Benítez or Harry Redknapp may have become rather more than mere conjecture.

"It's part and parcel of football," said Adkins, referring to the speculation. "I've been in it for a long time so I know that's what it is, what goes on. It doesn't affect me, which is a good thing, because I just concentrate on what we're doing. The chairman, we have a great working relationship, he's been outstanding and we share the same vision and common goal. It's here for all to see at Southampton."

Saints were poor in the first half and Paul Lambert's side should have doubled their lead soon after the interval. First Bent squandered an opportunity with his left foot before Christian Benteke, making his first start for the club, headed narrowly wide of a post.

Few would have predicted a standing ovation for Adkins in stoppage time, however, Villa's vicissitude was sparked by Rickie Lambert's effort before Nathaniel Clyne slotted under Brad Guzan and Jason Puncheon's effort from a tight angle was deflected in off Ciaran Clark.

After the rapturous applause, Adkins said: "From a personal point of view it demonstrates that here at Southampton we are all together as one. Since I've been here the support has been outstanding. If you heard them at Arsenal last week they were still singing and getting behind the players. There is always going to be speculation. Let's not be fearful of it."

Stephen Ireland, so influential in the opening 45 minutes, was withdrawn at half-time with a suspected broken arm and the only positive for Paul Lambert after a miserable capitulation was Bent's first goal of the season. Woeful defending from Southampton it might have been, but the Villa No9 capitalised with a poacher's finish and combined well with Benteke throughout.

Paul Lambert said: "That's Darren down to a tee, that's how he's made a living out of the game. I'm sure that will do his confidence the world of good. But the game's about winning. Losing, it doesn't matter how you get beaten, whether you get beaten 2-1 or 3-1, the dressing room is always down when you lose."

By the time Guzan brought down the substitute Emmanuel Mayuka the result was already assured. "We believe in what we're doing but it is about winning," Adkins said. For Southampton, the season is finally up and running.

Man of the match Rickie Lambert (Southampton)