The Italian striker had gone 12 league matches since the start of November without a goal but a double in the first half-hour of the mid-table clash ensured the end of Stoke's four-game unbeaten run.
Pelle flicked in a Steven Davis corner with a neat header after 11 minutes before he benefited from fine approach work from Dusan Tadic in the 29th to make it 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium.
After Tadic missed a golden chance to seal the points before halftime, Stoke roared back with Marko Arnautovic scoring once and almost earning an equaliser but Southampton clung on despite Sadio Mane being sent off in the dying seconds for a challenge on Erik Pieters.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
(Reporting by Ian Chadband; Editing by Tony Jimenez)
