Southampton 1-2 Fulham

Second half goals from Emile Smith Rowe and Ryan Sessegnon saw Fulham come from behind to win in Southampton.

A frustrating first half had us behind to Jack Stephens’ header, but a dominant second 45 earned a deserved three points for the boys.

There was an element of fortune about the deflected finish from substitute Smith Rowe that brought us level, though not the wonderful touch that saw him collect Alex Iwobi’s pass.

And it was that man Sessegnon again who bagged the points in the most dramatic of scenarios, stooping home a precision header in stoppage time in front of a jubilant away end.

Marco Silva made two changes to the side that lost the SW6 derby six days earlier. Antonee Robinson missed out so was replaced by Willian, with Sessegnon moving to left-back, while Harry Wilson started a match for the first time in three months, at the expense of Saša Lukić. That meant Andreas Pereira dropped deeper into the eight, with Wilson right, Willian left, and Iwobi operating as a number 10.

The new look left-hand side of Willian and Sessegnon led to the first shot after 11 minutes. The overlapping run of Sess was used by the Brazilian as a decoy, instead shifting the ball onto his right foot and bending an effort marginally wide of the far post from the opposite corner of the penalty box.

But just two minutes later, the hosts went in front. Ryan Manning whipped in a superb free-kick from the left, and Stephens timed his run and flicked header to perfection to send it past Leno.

The Saints captain's next intervention came at the other end, as he diverted a threatening Joachim Andersen header at a corner away from danger.

Southampton hadn’t seen much of the ball so were looking to make their attacks count when they were able to break, with Kamaldeen Sulemana stinging the palms of Leno with a low strike from the edge of the box in the 33^rd minute.

Fulham threatened an equaliser from a free-kick of our own four minutes before the break, when Andreas’ in-swinger looked set to pick out Sander Berge for an easy finish at the back stick, but Stephens made a crucial last ditch intervention to divert the ball from his path.

Raúl Jiménez had a couple of chances come and go in quick succession before the half-time whistle. First, he dragged a shot wide after the ball had dropped his way in the area from a corner, before volleying over from a Kenny Tete delivery.

The first half had lacked umph from Fulham, and so Silva shuffled his pack at half-time by bringing on Lukić and Adama Traoré for Berge and Andreas, meaning Iwobi dropped a little deeper and Wilson went central.

It took 10 minutes for us to threaten the home goal, as an off-target Wilson effort was followed up by a first time Willian strike that came back off the post after good work by Adama.

Saints then had a decent chance of their own when they won possession – after what appeared to be a foul on Willian – and Kyle Walker-Peters drew a full stretch save from Leno.

Willian then took aim from 20 yards, but a shove from Flynn Downes meant it didn’t find its range, with the Fulham players aggrieved that once again a free-kick was not awarded.

It was Southampton’s turn to hit the post midway through the half, though Cameron Archer’s clip from the byline was more likely a cross than a shot.

Willian may have felt aggrieved to have been substituted after an effective individual display, but his replacement did not need long to make his presence felt. Iwobi expertly scooped the ball over Smith Rowe’s marker to pick out his clever run, and the substitute killed the ball with a sublime touch before trying to bend one beyond Aaron Ramsdale, with a deflection off Jan Bednarek looping it over the Saints goalkeeper.

The Whites had our hosts pinned back as we entered the last 10 minutes, but neither Iwobi’s flicked header or Adama’s left footer could find the target as we added a couple to the shot count.

The next attempt was much closer, with Smith Rowe squeezing a strike inside the far post, but Ramsdale made a fine sprawling stop to push it behind for a corner.

Ramsdale was in action again with three minutes left to play when he caught a Raúl header, after the Fulham number seven was picked out by Adama at the end of a good run down the right.

Our pressure had been absolutely relentless and it paid off in the second minute of stoppage time. Sessegnon had been so attacking all game from left-back, but few would have expected him to have been the one getting on the end of another fine Adama cross eight yards from goal. He still had a lot to do, but he expertly guided his header away from Ramsdale and inside the far post. A worthy way of winning a football match.