Report: Saints undone by Newcastle comeback

The afternoon started brightly for Saints when Jan Bednarek continued his newfound scoring form with a neatly dispatched header after just 10 minutes.

Good value for their lead, the award of a penalty to the visitors midway through the half – that needed VAR intervention - swung the pendulum of momentum, as Alexander Isak dispatched the spot kick before making it a brace just four minutes later.

The Magpies gave themselves a two-goal cushion early in the second half thanks to Sandro Tonali, with Mateus Fernandes having a late strike ruled out to curtail any feint hope of a second comeback of the day.

Ivan Jurić made four changes for the first league match at St Mary’s in three weeks, losing Aaron Ramsdale and Kamaldeen Sulemana to injury.

Alex McCarthy took the spot between the sticks whilst Paul Onuachu, fresh from scoring his first goal for the club last time out, took Cameron Archer’s spot up front.

In front of Saints’ number one, Ryan Manning made his first league start in four games at the expense of Yukinari Sugawara, while Lesley Ugochukwu was restored to the starting line-up with Flynn Downes dropping to the bench.

It was the visitors who took the early initiative as they looked to show a response to last weekend’s heavy defeat to Bournemouth, as Joelinton blazed a shot into the Northam from the edge of the box.

Before the Geordies could build up a head of steam, however, Saints struck with their first meaningful attack of the game.

Jan Bednarek was on the score sheet for a second successive game

An earlier set-piece saw the big men from the back remain in the box, and when James Bree’s eventual delivery landed in a perfect position six yards out, Bednarek was on hand to guide home his second goal in as many games.

While Bednarek’s name rang out around St Mary’s, Jurić’s men looked to capitalise on momentum, with Adam Armstrong firing two shots at Martin Dúbravka’s goal from 18 yards to no avail.

The hosts were visibly buoyed by taking the lead at home in the Premier League for the first time since November, only for a lengthy VAR review midway through the first half to turn the tide.

As Isak burst into the box Joe Aribo looked to have perfectly timed his last-ditch challenge, an opinion held by the on-field officials who awarded a corner, only for a three-minute review which culminated in referee Sam Barrott consulting the pitchside screen and pointing to the spot.

Isak, unfazed by waving arms behind the Northam, coolly sent McCarthy the wrong way to collect his 16th goal of the season.

Already brimming with confidence, Isak began an almost one-man assault on the Saints goal, going close moments after equalising before his second came on the half-hour mark.

Jacob Murphy’s run inside from the right went unopposed and the resulting through ball was expertly brought under his spell by Isak, who duly converted with a low shot off the inside of the post.

On a first half hat-trick, the Toon’s top scorer found a way to get a shot off through a mass of bodies on 33 minutes, forcing McCarthy into a smart save with an outstretched leg.

The Swede-led onslaught subsided and Kyle Walker-Peters headed just wide with the last chance of the half, as the hosts looked to restore parity.

Mateus Fernandes brings the ball forward at St Mary's

After the restart it was Saints who had the game's next chance, as Taylor Harwood-Bellis looked to capitalise on a poor attempted punch by Dúbravka with an acrobatic effort that the Slovakian had to push over the bar.

The defender's effort proved to be a false dawn, as just two minutes later Eddie Howe's side extended their advantage.

Anthony Gordon's first-time knock inside perfectly matched the run of Tonali whose touch took him beyond the Saints defence and bearing down on goal. Taking a seeming age to play out, the Italian picked his spot before duping McCarthy with his eyes to fire the ball into the bottom corner.

Five minutes later Murphy almost added a goal to his assist when his shot came back off the post from 18 yards, sparking Jurić into a double change that saw Sugawara and Archer replace Manning and Armstrong.

After Joelinton had a certain goal denied by a heroic clearance by Bednarek, the chances dried up for the Magpies as Eddie Howe's side opted to sit in and try to frustrate Saints who were attempting to apply pressure.

Territory in the Newcastle half was plentiful but chances remained at a premium, as Jurić refreshed his midfield for the final 10 minutes with Will Smallbone replacing Ugochukwu.

If Saints needed confirmation it wasn't to be their day, a second lengthy VAR decision of the day did just that.

Fernandes thought he had his second Premier League goal of the season when he latched onto McCarthy's long ball and calmly converted, only for a substantial delay to find the Portuguese to have been stood in an offside position.

With a nail-biting finale ruled out by VAR, Newcastle went close to a fourth through substitute Miguel Almirón in stoppage time, as the visitors controlled the final few minutes to claim an immediate return to winning ways in the Premier League.

Southampton: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Bree (Fraser 88'), Bednarek (c), Harwood-Bellis, Manning (Sugawara 60'), Ugochukwu (Smallbone 79'), Aribo (Lallana 89'), Fernandes, Armstrong (Archer 60'), Onuachu.

Unused substitutes: Lumley, Wood, Bella-Kotchap, Downes.

Goals: Bednarek (10’).

Booked: Fernandes.

Newcastle: Dúbravka, Livramento, Schär, Burn, Hall, Tonali, Guimarães (c) (Miley 79'), Joelinton, Murphy (Longstaff 90+2'), Isak (Willock 79'), Gordon (Almirón 88').

Unused substitutes: Pope, Botman, Kelly, Trippier, Osula.

Goals: Isak (26’ pen, 30’), Tonali (51').

Referee: Sam Barrott.

Attendance: 31,141.