Report: Solid Saints stand firm at Fulham

New manager Ivan Jurić watched from the stands as Simon Rusk continued in interim charge and oversaw a vastly improved defensive effort, as Saints for the most part restricted their hosts to shots from distance.

When called upon, the returning Aaron Ramsdale made a brilliant second-half save to keep out Harry Wilson, as Saints were rewarded for their organisation with a second away point of the campaign.

Rusk’s team selection showed four changes from Wednesday’s hard-fought Carabao Cup quarter-final against Liverpool.

Ramsdale was back in goal, while Yukinari Sugawara and Kyle Walker-Peters occupied the wing-back roles and Adam Armstrong led the line, as Alex McCarthy, James Bree, Ryan Manning and Cameron Archer dropped to the bench.

The returning keeper was called into action inside four minutes when a speculative effort from Alex Iwobi from the left corner of the penalty area might have been sailing in without the fingertips of the England international.

Aaron Ramsdale flies across his goal to keep out Alex Iwobi early on

The pink-shirted Saints responded with a quick counter involving Sugawara, Mateus Fernandes, Tyler Dibling and Armstrong, whose shot deflected behind for a corner.

Fulham are a confident outfit, having lost only one of their last eight matches, and tested Saints from a couple of early crosses, as Ramsdale got a touch on one from Antonee Robinson, before Taylor Harwood-Bellis got his positioning right to intercept a low ball from 17-year-old Josh King.

By the half-hour mark, both sides were still being restricted to limited sights of goal. Iwobi dragged a 20-yarder well wide, before Wilson hit a couple of long rangers of his own, but both flew over Ramsdale’s crossbar.

Iwobi then registered the closest effort so far with a measured curler that had Ramsdale worried, diving full stretch to his left and relieved to see the ball sail wide.

Rusk must have been happy with his team’s organisation out of possession, but did make a half-time change in a bid to improve the attacking threat, as Archer replaced Dibling to provide a more orthodox partner for Armstrong up front.

Tyler Dibling was replaced at half time at Craven Cottage

Ten minutes later the pair linked up nicely, before Armstrong traded passes with Sugawara and forced a routine save from Bernd Leno.

Lesley Ugochukwu was summoned soon after, while Fulham introduced Adama Traoré and Raúl Jiménez in their own quest to break the deadlock.

Traoré was soon involved, crossing for Iwobi, but Ramsdale, who had earlier got crucial fingertips on another dangerous Robinson cross, made a simple catch.

The keeper was getting busier, and made his best save of the match so far to deny Wilson midway through the second half, as another Traoré cross found its target at the far post, but Ramsdale reacted superbly to reach above his head and block the Welshman’s half-volley from six yards.

Ramsdale brilliantly denies Harry Wilson from the best chance of the game

Ramsdale made another stop to fall on top of a 25-yarder from Iwobi, who was racking up the attempts, while Traoré dragged a low shot inches wide late on, but Fulham could not find the answers to break down a resolute visiting display.

Saints were dreaming of victory when Walker-Peters surged forward and claimed a penalty for Timothy Castagne’s sliding challenge; when a corner was awarded instead, Ugochukwu was unable to direct Fernandes’s teasing delivery on target.

Saints will hope to carry a greater goal threat in the games that follow, but this at least represented a step in the right direction and a welcome point on the board.

Fulham: Leno, Castagne, Diop, Bassey, Robinson, Berge (Lukić 76), Cairney (c) (Godo 76), Wilson (Vinícius 87), King (Adama 62), Iwobi, Muniz (Jiménez 62).

Unused substitutes: Benda, Andersen, Cuenca, Sessegnon.

Booked: Jiménez.

Southampton: Ramsdale, Sugawara (Bree 80), Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek (c), Wood, Walker-Peters, Downes, Aribo (Ugochukwu 57), Fernandes, Dibling (Archer 46), Armstrong (Onuachu 90+1’).

Unused substitutes: McCarthy, Manning, Lallana, Fraser, Kamaldeen.

Booked: Downes, Sugawara, Ugochukwu.

Referee: Tim Robinson.