Ralph Hasenhuttl's men moved 10 points clear of the drop zone after easing fears it could be dragged into a battle for survival.

The Saints topped the table in November, but a run of one point from a possible 27 had them looking over their shoulders.

However, the Championship-bound Blades proved the perfect opponents for Southampton, despite losing top scorer Danny Ings to an early injury.

James Ward-Prowse's penalty opened the scoring just after the half hour mark before Che Adams registered his first goal in 17 games with a blistering strike into the top corner on 49 minutes.

Sheffield United remains 12 points adrift of safety with just 10 more games to save itself.

Aston Villa's unexpected challenge for the top four is also faltering after a 0-0 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers left it seven points adrift of Chelsea in ninth.

Villa again lacked the creativity of injured captain Jack Grealish as it was Wolves that twice came closest to a winner through their skipper Conor Coady.

The England international had never even had a Premier League shot on target prior to scoring against Manchester City in midweek, but hit the post with a header before Romain Saiss somehow spooned the rebound over.

Emi Martinez then produced a stunning stop to deny Coady again from point-blank range to salvage a point for Villa.