Report: Late heartbreak as Saints draw with Ipswich
Southampton were dealt a cruel late blow against Ipswich Town, as Sam Morsy's strike deep into added time rescued a 1-1 draw for the visitors and denied Russell Martin's team a first win of the Premier League season.
Saints were so close to what would have been a deserved victory after Tyler Dibling's first senior career goal – a fifth-minute strike dripping in quality – had set them on the way, but they ultimately had to settle for a point as a stunning effort at the death from the Ipswich captain denied the hosts.
Russell Martin made four changes from the team that started against Manchester United in the last Premier League outing, one of which was enforced as captain Jack Stephens served the second match of a three-game ban.
Elsewhere, Kyle Walker-Peters, Lesley Ugochukwu and Ben Brereton Díaz dropped to the bench, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Charlie Taylor, Adam Lallana and Ryan Fraser – who all started the midweek Carabao Cup win at Everton – coming in.
Adam Lallana made his first Premier League start for Saints since 2014 (Photo: Matt Watson)
For Lallana, the game marked a first Premier League start for the club in more than ten years, following an influential 45-minute run out at Goodison Park in midweek.
And he would take only five minutes here to make his mark, laying on the opening goal with a pass of immense quality and vision. That it was provided for one of the club’s most recent Academy graduates, Dibling, made it all the more fitting.
It came after Fraser helped win the ball in the Ipswich area, with Saints quickly cycling it back to Lallana 25 yards out. He then produced a brilliantly-disguised and defence-splitting angled pass into Dibling, who took a lightning-quick touch with his right foot towards goal and into space before finishing low with his left, coolly sending Ipswich keeper Arijanet Muric the wrong way.
Teenage star Tyler Dibling celebrates his first senior Saints goal (Photo: Matt Watson)
There was an extra surge of energy to the celebrations in the stands and on the pitch given the identity of the scorer, as Dibling netted the first Premier League and indeed the first senior goal of his career – a richly-deserved reward following the level of performance he has produced this season.
It was an effort that also made him the fourth youngest Saints scorer in Premier League history, behind Michael Obafemi, Dexter Blackstock and Sam Gallagher.
Despite that dream start, however, Saints quickly found themselves under a fair bit of pressure.
Wes Burns and Sammie Szmodics, who had earlier combined to go close in the second minute of the game, linked up again on 12 minutes, as Burns crossed to his teammate in a central position about six yards out, only for the striker to mis-time his header and send the ball off his shoulder and into the arms of a grateful Aaron Ramsdale. Replays suggested he may have been offside, but it was a reminder of the threat the visitors posed.
Still, Saints held firm and they earned the next big chance, almost doubling the lead in the 27th minute.
Jan Bednarek won a 50-50 ball magnificently on halfway, diverting it to Dibling, who sent a sensational pass between Ipswich left back Jacob Greaves and centre back Dara O’Shea for Cameron Archer to run onto. He held off the chasing pair as he angled across the area and past the diving Muric, only for his left-footed strike from the subsequent tight angle to hit the base of the near post.
At the other end, Ipswich did threaten multiple times before the break, but O’Shea sent a header from Leif Davis’s corner straight at Ramsdale, before the Saints keeper saved well at the near post from a Davis shot after he had been picked out in the area by a smart Omari Hutchinson pass. Ramsdale then made an even better stop in added time, flying to his right to tip a Hutchinson shot, which was arrowing towards the far top corner, over the bar, as Saints held onto their one-goal advantage into the interval.
Aaron Ramsdale makes a spectacular save late in the first half (Photo: Matt Watson)
They almost extended that to two goals within four minutes of the restart, as Flynn Downes – who was wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of Stephens – slid a ball into the area for Archer, who did extremely well to cut inside and between O’Shea and Greaves, only to then need to stretch to prod an effort towards goal that Muric was able to repel.
Ipswich then carved out a decent opportunity of their own soon after, as Hutchinson slipped a pass into the right side of the area for the run of Szmodics, but he lashed a first-time shot into the side netting.
It was certainly an open game and Saints themselves immediately went back on the front foot, as Yuki Sugawara swung a beautiful cross-field ball into the path of Mateus Fernandes down the inside left, with his subsequent square delivery across goal narrowly out of reach of the sliding Archer.
Shortly before the hour mark, Martin made his first substitutions, as Brereton Díaz, Ugochukwu and Ross Stewart came on, with Lallana, Archer and Fraser being withdrawn.
Ross Stewart was one of a three players brought on around the hour mark (Photo: Matt Watson)
With some fresh energy, Saints began to exert an increasing amount of control and they almost netted a spectacular second with ten minutes left as Brereton Díaz lashed a fierce first-time shot over the bar from 18 yards after Fernandes had found him with a sharp pass.
St Mary’s then rose to applaud the contribution of Dibling, as his day came to an end in the 82nd minute, with Adam Armstrong being sent on in his place.
Saints had to endure an additional seven minutes at the end of the game, as they edged tantalisingly close to the finish line, but they wouldn't quite make it there with the lead intact.
After Ramsdale had made another fine save to tip over a George Hirst header, the resulting corner was cleared to Morsy 20 yards out, and he blasted an unstoppable effort into the top corner, via the aid of a deflection off an unfortunate Joe Aribo.
It was cruel on Saints, who would have been good value for three points, but the final whistle ultimately left them with only one.
Southampton: Ramsdale, Sugawara, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Taylor, Downes (c), Lallana (Ugochukwu 59), Fernandes (Aribo 90+1), Dibling (Armstrong 82), Fraser (Brereton Díaz 59), Archer (Stewart 59).
Unused substitutes: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Wood, Cornet.
Goals: Dibling (5’).
Booked: Taylor, Lallana, Downes, Stewart.
Ipswich Town: Muric, Tuanzebe (Johnson 82), O’Shea, Greaves, Davis, Morsy (c), Cajuste (Taylor 61), Burns (Chaplin 73), Hutchinson, Szmodics (J. Clarke 62), Delap (Hirst 73).
Unused substitutes: Walton, Townsend, Luongo, Ogbene.
Goals: Morsy (90+5')
Booked: O’Shea, Hutchinson, Delap, Taylor.
Referee: Sam Allison.
Attendance: 31,117.
