Armstrong holds his nerve in St Mary's classic

It seems a distant memory now, but 4-4 was the scoreline when Saints signed off from the Premier League on a spectacular final day against Liverpool in late May, and history repeated itself in the first home outing of the new campaign thanks to Adam Armstrong’s second penalty of the game, seven minutes into added time.

The Canaries had edged in front inside six minutes through Josh Sargent’s close-range header, but Saints bounced back sharply to lead, as Jan Bednarek equalised before Armstrong’s first spot-kick turned the game on its head.

The advantage lasted only two minutes, as Gabriel Sara spectacularly drew Norwich level, before Jonathan Rowe headed them in front in first-half stoppage time.

Saints substitute Ché Adams made it 3-3 shortly before the hour mark and Carlos Alcaraz thumped a shot against the crossbar, but it was Norwich who thought they had snatched victory through substitute Christian Fassnacht six minutes from time.

Instead Saints kept pushing and got their rewards when Kyle Walker-Peters was bundled over, and Armstrong held his nerve to bury a pressure penalty and rescue a point.

Martin made one change to his team that took to the field on the opening night of the EFL season at Hillsborough.

The manager revealed in his pre-match press conference that James Ward-Prowse’s departure from the club was edging closer, prompting Stuart Armstrong to come into the starting line-up, while Jack Stephens captained the side.

Martin had a nine-year association with Norwich as a player, winning three promotions, including one as captain, but his former teammate Kenny McLean made it clear there was no room for sentiment from the very first whistle.

Within 15 seconds of kick-off, the Scotland international hit Will Smallbone with a crunching tackle that saw him pick up the first card of the game.

It was perhaps an early warning to Smallbone that he’s now a marked man in the Championship after dictating so much of Saints’ dominant possession game against Sheffield Wednesday in front of the Sky Sports camera.

Josh Sargent climbs highest to head home at the far post

Saints opened the scoring early that night, but were on the receiving end this time around, as Martin’s side fell behind inside six minutes.

Working the ball down the right side, full-back Jack Stacey was afforded too much time to deliver a cross to the far post that was gleefully headed home by Sargent from close range.

The hosts responded well. Alcaraz and Ryan Manning both had sights of goal before Saints levelled the scores on 17 minutes.

From Walker-Peters’s quickly-taken corner, the ball was worked back to the right-back, whose cross to the far post was met by skipper Stephens.

When his header was beaten out by former Saints stopper Angus Gunn, it was Bednarek, Stephens’s centre-back partner, who was in the right place to steer in the rebound.

The scoring went from 1-0 to 2-2 in six minutes. Shortly after Bednarek had levelled things up, Smallbone’s free-kick from the right was handled by Shane Duffy, and referee Darren England immediately pointed to the spot.

Initially it looked as if Nathan Tella would take the responsibility, but it was Armstrong who stepped up to beat Gunn in emphatic fashion, high to the keeper’s left.

Still there was no let up in the action, as Sara’s bolt from the blue restored parity midway through the half.

In fact Saints did not have another touch of the ball from Armstrong’s penalty to the equaliser, as Norwich built up patiently from the restart, before Sara’s quick feet and vicious angled drive, which flew past Gavin Bazunu’s left hand to find the far corner.

Jan Bednarek scores the first of three Saints equalisers on the day

It had been breathless stuff, and even if the scoring temporarily dried up, the action didn’t.

Duffy threatened from a deep free-kick at one end before Adam Armstrong’s header from a corner was cleared off the line, as both sides struggle to defend against set-pieces.

Then Onel Hernández sprinted beyond Walker-Peters to the byline and cut the ball back for McLean, who was only denied by a brilliant last-ditch block from Stephens.

But it was the Canaries who edged in front for the second time in first-half stoppage time. A much-changed Saints team had struggled to defend corners in the Carabao Cup defeat at Gillingham in midweek, and the same problem resurfaced here when Rowe was left unmarked to beat Bazunu with an accurate looping header from ten yards.

Even then, Saints threatened an equaliser when Ryan Manning’s cross was headed wide by Nathan Tella, but both managers had time to make sense of a helter-skelter half at the interval.

When the players returned, Alcaraz tested Gunn with placed effort from the edge of the box that was creeping in, only for the keeper to extend himself with a fine diving save.

The game took another turn with the second half still only three minutes old, as Samuel Edozie picked up an injury and was unable to continue, replaced by Adams, as Adam Armstrong dropped back into a deeper role.

Nine minutes later, it was the substitute who levelled things up once more. Adams’s initial intention was to find a teammate, but when his pass rebounded back into his path, he took a touch out of his feet and rifled a low shot across Gunn, who was powerless to prevent the net bulging for a sixth time in the first hour.

There would have even been a seventh before the clock hit 60, were it not for the assistant referee cutting short Norwich’s celebrations when Ashley Barnes prodded in from close range after Bazunu repelled Sara’s initial free-kick, which bounced awkwardly in front of him.

Adam Armstrong showed admirable composure to score his second penalty deep into added time at the end of an absorbing contest

Still both teams kept pushing. Alcaraz never needs a second invitation to shoot, and his thunderous 25-yard drive clipped the bar on its way over, before Gunn denied Adam Armstrong’s acrobatic effort from a corner.

At the other end Norwich countered through Sargent, who picked out Fassnacht, but Bazunu was out sharply to save at his feet before home debutant Shea Charles blocked the follow-up.

But Fassnacht would not be denied, as the substitute was in the right place at the right time to score what looked like being the winner, only for Walker-Peters to embark on one last raid and Armstrong to hold his nerve from the spot.

Remarkably, though not out of character with the chaos preceding it, there was still one more chance for Saints through Alcaraz, who sunk to his knees when his curling shot sailed a matter of inches wide of Gunn’s goal.

And breathe.

Saints: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Stephens (c), Manning, Smallbone (Amo-Ameyaw 87), S. Armstrong (Charles 65), Alcaraz, Tella, Edozie (Adams 48), A. Armstrong.

Subs not used: McCarthy, Lyanco, Bree, Aribo, Djenepo, Mara.

Goals: Bednarek (17), A. Armstrong (21 pen, 90+7 pen), Adams 57.

Yellow cards: Smallbone, Edozie, Tella, Stephens, Adams, Charles, Bednarek.

Norwich: Gunn, Stacey, Duffy, Gibson, Giannoulis, McLean (c), Rowe (Springett 71), Hernández (Fassnacht 58), Sara (Núñez 87), Sargent, Barnes (Idah 87).

Subs not used: Krul, Omobamidele, McCallum, Fisher, Gibbs.

Goals: Sargent (6), Sara (23), Rowe (45+2), Fassnacht 84.

Yellow cards: McLean, Springett, Stacey, Núñez.

Referee: Darren England.

Attendance: 30,113.