COVENTRY City picked up a maximum points haul at the Ricoh Arena thanks to a Jay Tabb double and strikes from Leon McKenzie and Leon Best.

The Sky Blues finally found some form in front of goal to pick up their first three points for three games and propel themselves back up the Championship table.

They had to weather some early pressure and a crisp display of passing from the visitors but City soon took the upper hand when Tabb broke the deadlock after 18 minutes and McKenzie doubled their lead just after the half hour mark.

Both sides were relatively quiet in the build-up to Tabb's opener, plenty of movement but little in the way of chances.

Southampton were the side in the ascendancy for the opening 15 minutes but they were caught out three minutes later when McKenzie was released down the left wing, allowing him to put in a deep cross at Kelvin Davis' back post where Tabb was waiting to head home from just a few yards out.

It could have been two-nil after 27 minutes when Leon Best was upended in the area by Oliver Lancashire, but Elliott Ward attempted to outwit Davis with his penalty which just went straight into the hands of the 'keeper.

Coventry did not have to wait long to get their second though two minutes after the half hour, started by a long throw from Aron Gunnarsson on the right.

His long delivery got a flick off the head of Ward in the area before going straight to the feet of McKenzie who had the easiest of tap ins.

Gunnarsson could also have been on the scoresheet three minutes before the break when he found himself one-on-one with Davis.

But an awkward bounce meant the Icelandic international had to wait for the ball to come down before he lashed a half-volley straight at Davis.

Coventry could not have asked for a better start to the second half though when Best made it 3-0 a minute after the restart.

Good work from Freddy Eastwood freed up McKenzie whose through ball to Fox allowed the left back to slide the ball from the by-line across to Best for an easy tap in and his first goal of the season.

Southampton clawed one back just after the hour mark when Andrew Surman benefited from a loose ball parried by Keiren Westwood from substitute Bradley Wright-Phillips' effort.

But City could have grabbed a fourth earlier than they did when, three minutes later, an identical move to the one that saw them get their third gifted Doyle the chance to put one away only for him to blaze his effort over the bar from ten yards.

David McGoldrick had a chance to further narrow the deficit for the visitors when he found himself through on goal only to hit a low shot straight at Westwood who held onto the ball.

But Tabb put the result beyond any doubt five minutes from time when a deep cross from the left from Freddy Eastwood found the pint-sized Irishman at the back post for him to smash a half-volley past Davis.

Attendance: 15,518 (637 away)

Teams

Coventry City: Westwood, Osbourne, Dann, Ward, Fox (Hall 79), Gunnarsson, Doyle, McKenzie, Tabb, Eastwood (Mifsud 87), Best (Morrison 79)
Subs: Marshall (GK), Beuzelin

Southampton: David, Perry, Wotton (Wright-Phillips 56), Surman, McGoldrick, Lallana (Pekhart 56), James (Gillett 56), Lancashire, Cork, Mills, Robertson
Subs: Bialkowski (GK), White