In-form Southampton ended Championship leaders Coventry’s six-match winning run with a 2-1 victory at the CBS Arena.
Flynn Downes pounced on a rebound to open the scoring shortly after half-time before Kuryu Matsuki doubled Southampton’s lead with five minutes remaining.
Victor Torp’s stoppage-time penalty gave Frank Lampard’s side hope in the final moments, but the Sky Blues were condemned to just their second home defeat of the season.
It meant that Tonda Eckert’s side kept pace with sixth-placed Wrexham in the race for the play-offs as Saints extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 12.
It was a cagey opening, although Cyle Larin almost opened the scoring for Southampton when he hooked narrowly wide from Matsuki’s header back across goal.
Larin, who scored a last-gasp equaliser at West Brom on Wednesday, was one of three changes to Saints’ starting XI.
There was a huge blow for the visitors as Leo Scienza, who came off in the draw against the Baggies, failed to recover in time to be in the squad.
Coventry’s main threat came down the left through Ephron Mason-Clark, who had the beating of James Bree and crossed for Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, but the Japanese winger could only head over.
Luke Woolfenden then headed wide from close range from another Mason-Clark cross as Coventry continued to cause issues from out wide.
Southampton then had Bayern Munich loanee Daniel Peretz to thank as he made an incredible save to prevent Liam Kitching from opening the scoring on his 100th appearance for the Sky Blues.
Haji Wright had been given a rest in Coventry’s 3-0 win over Preston in midweek but was recalled to the starting line-up, and the American striker almost added to his 16 league goals this season when he volleyed Mason-Clark’s cross inches wide.
Southampton stunned the CBS Arena just three minutes after the restart.
Matsuki’s cross evaded both Larin and goalkeeper Carl Rushworth and rebounded off a post, where it was met by the onrushing Downes who could not miss from inside the six-yard box.
Ryan Manning went close to doubling Southampton’s lead six minutes later with a free-kick that whistled past the right-hand post.
Wright had scored six goals in Coventry’s six games since the turn of the year and was presented with a golden chance to equalise when he headed Milan van Ewijk’s hanging cross straight at Peretz.
Southampton doubled their advantage in fortunate fashion when Bree’s corner hit the leg of the unmarked Matsuki and rolled past the helpless Rushworth.
Torp then stepped up to dispatch a penalty he had won himself after he was fouled by Shea Charles.
The inevitable onslaught followed as Coventry desperately searched for an equaliser, but Peretz was able to breathe a sigh of relief when he held onto Romaine Esse’s shot following a goalmouth scramble.
