Southampton further eased their relegation fears with a deserved victory at Portman Road.

Goals from Rory Delap and Brett Ormerod helped them to their first success over Ipswich for eight years.

Finidi George, playing only his second game of 2002 and returning from African Nations Cup duty with Nigeria, pulled a goal back late on.

But skipper Chris Marsden sealed the three points by strolling through the heart of the Ipswich defence and rolling the ball home.

Southampton, a point and two places above their hosts in the table at the start, were the better side throughout and were well worth only their second win in seven Premiership attempts.

For Ipswich, though, this reverse threatens to drag them back into the scrap at the bottom of the table.

With little goalmouth action in the opening half-hour, chances were scarce and the nearest either side came to fashioning an opportunity came from goalkeeping errors.

First, Paul Jones spilled Martijn Reuser's cross from the right but Marcus Bent failed to anticipate.

Then, at the other end, Andy Marshall's clearance was charged down by Delap but referee Mark Halsey spotted the use of a hand.

Marshall was forced into the first save of the contest in the 24th minute when Svensson curled a free-kick straight into his arms.

Ipswich's first effort on goal arrived nine minutes before the break when Marcus Stewart fed Reuser and the Dutch winger forced Jones to scramble low to his left to hold onto his 15-yard side-footed shot.

But it was Southampton who could and perhaps should have been ahead 60 seconds later as Bramble's loose ball enabled Kevin Davies a sight of the target.

Marshall fumbled his swerving effort from outside the area and Delap's follow-up hit the outside of the post when he might have done better.

Marsden, wearing the captain's armband in injury-victim Jason Dodd's absence, then flashed a long-range drive over the angle of post and bar as Gordon Strachan's team began to dominate.

Delap was once again guilty of profligacy in front of goal in the first minute of the second half.

This time, Davies got to the right by-line and whipped his centre to the edge of the six-yard box where Delap failed to connect with his volley, under pressure from Mark Venus.

Ipswich's response was their most fluent move of the match with Bent and Chris Makin combining to release George and the former Ajax winger's crossfield pass landing on Hermann Hreidarsson's head but his ambitious 18-yard atempt lacked power and Jones caught beneath the bar.

But Southampton took a deserved if somewhat controversial lead seven minutes after the resumption as Delap made it third time lucky.

The Republic of Ireland international was adjudged to have been fouled by Bramble much to Ipswich's dismay and from a well-worked dead-ball, Delap fired past Marshall via a deflection off Stewart.

Burley made immediate changes with Reuser and Makin sacrificed and Jermaine Wright and Jamie Clapham sent on as the hosts reverted top a 3-5-2 formation.

But they were caught flat-footed at the back just after the hour as Matt Oakley's precise pass beat the offside trap and allowed Ormerod to exploit the space beyond the backline.

Ormerod, a £1.75million signing from Blackpool in December, advanced 30 yards and coolly slipped his left-foot shot around the advancing Marshall for his first Premiership goal.

Holland wasted a good opportunity with a little under a quarter of an hour to go, blazing over after Stewart teed him up from 10 yards.

But the next contribution from the Ipswich captain was to get his side back into the game eight minutes from time.

Paul Jones punched Mark Venus' corner clear, Holland volleyed the ball back towards goal and George diverted it over the line despite the best efforts of Paul Williams, who was booked for protesting.

Hopes of a significant comeback were short-lived, however, as shoddy Ipswich defending allowed Marsden to pick up the ball halfway into home territory, waltz past four blue shirts, round Marshall and guide inside the post.

Teams:

Ipswich: Marshall, Makin (Wright 56), Bramble, Venus, Hreidarsson, George, Holland, Magilton, Reuser (Clapham 56), Stewart (Counago 77), Marcus Bent.

Subs Not Used: Sereni, Armstrong.

Goals: George 82.

Southampton: Jones, Delap, Lundekvam, Williams, Bridge, Telfer, Marsden, Oakley, Svensson, Davies, Ormerod (Tessem 78).

Subs Not Used: Moss, El Khalej, Fernandes, Bleidelis.

Booked: Williams.

Goals: Delap 52, Ormerod 61, Marsden 88.

Att: 25,440

Ref: M Halsey (Welwyn Garden City).