Jovon Makama's controversial 61st-minute winner stopped in-form Southampton in their tracks and gave Norwich a vital leg-up in their Championship relegation fight.

Saints were furious, with the ball appearing to strike the 21-year-old's hand on its way into the net, but the goal - Makama's second of the game - stood to give the Canaries back-to-back home wins.

If there were question marks over the winner, injury-hit Norwich deserved their victory for an energetic second-half performance.

It was only Southampton's second defeat in eight matches, with the Saints left to rue Adam Armstrong's first-half penalty miss.

Norwich remain in the relegation zone but, with Oxford losing, are now just two points from safety.

Makama broke the deadlock three minutes into the second half. Leading the line in the absence of leading scorer Josh Sargent, who was concussed in midweek, the summer arrival from Lincoln City timed his run perfectly to turn in Jacob Wright's precise near-post cross.

Southampton struck back in spectacular fashion in the 57th minute through Ryan Manning, who thumped home a left-footed shot from 30 yards after winning a challenge with Makama.

But four minutes later Makama, the man of the match, pounced again inside the six-yard box after Wright had looped in a cross from the left and Harry Darling had won the header in the penalty area.

Southampton had every right to feel aggrieved with the final touch clearly coming off the striker's hand. But Norwich were the dominant force and had the ball in the net again in the 67th minute through Emiliano Marcondes after a driving run by Makama only for the goal to be chalked off for a push.

Southampton had started the brighter with Leo Scienza hitting the bar with a free-kick inside two minutes.

They were awarded a penalty in the 27th minute when Darling, back from suspension, slid in on Sienza.

However, Norwich goalkeeper Vladan Kovacevic threw himself to his left to save from Armstrong. It was Southampton's fourth penalty miss of the last five they have been awarded in league games.

Norwich striker Jovon Makama told BBC Radio Norfolk:

"A goal is a goal. It went in and I ran away and celebrated. I can't quite remember how it went in.

"It (VAR) can stay away for now!

"It has been an incredibly tough start to the season and it's such a nice feeling to come away smiling.

"That's two home wins in a row now and I think we needed it so much just as a team and for the fans as well and the club as a whole.

"They've been in really good form but it just goes to show how good a team we are when we are aggressive, when we go after it and really put our bodies on the line. That's what we did from minute one today.

"You can see just how it means to the boys to give something to cheer about and ourselves something to be happy about.

"As a team we are really getting together and working hard for each other.

"Every performance we are fighting more and more."

Southampton goalscorer Ryan Manning told BBC Radio Solent:

"We have set such high standards over the last seven or eight games that to come out in the second half and start so poorly and let them go one up was frustrating.

"We got back in the game, you look to try to build on that and try to go for the winner but we ended up conceding again.

"It was a combination of errors in the second half that cost us today.

"Ultimately, clean sheets are vital in this league. We have been fortunate in scoring a lot recently but to score more than two goals every week is unrealistic. I think we have to start tightening that up.

"We have to start grinding out the 1-0s - they are the ones that will stand for us come the end of the season.

"There is still a lot of work to do."