Gary Caldwell's first goal of the season has given Wigan Athletic a half-time lead over Southampton at the DW Stadium.
The Latics skipper headed a Jean Beausejour corner powerfully past Artur Boruc to put the hosts in front on 25 minutes.
Boruc had earlier kept the score goalless when he produced a full-length diving stop to foil Franco di Santo.
Southampton are still looking for their first win under new boss Mauricio Pochettino but had some half-chances of their own in the opening 45 minutes.
Gaston Ramirez was wasteful with a first-time strike after Rickie Lambert found him unmarked on the edge of the box.
Jason Puncheon also drilled a 25-yard effort wide as the Saints failed to test Ali Al-Habsi with any of their four first-half shots.