Sam Morsy's stunning stoppage-time goal salvaged a point for Ipswich Town as they fought back to earn a 1-1 draw with Southampton at St Mary's.
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With both sides winless in their first four games of 2024/25 after winning promotion together from the Championship last season, Saturday's match was played out at a relentless pace from the off.
Southampton teenager Tyler Dibling, one week on from a positive performance against Manchester United, put the hosts ahead early on, taking in Adam Lallana's pass and producing a composed finish.
Russell Martin's team were closing in on an important victory when captain Morsy struck five minutes into second-half stoppage time, sending a 20-yard volley into the top-left corner via the help of a slight deflection.
The result keeps both teams still waiting on their first wins of the campaign, with Southampton 18th after earning their first point and Ipswich two points better off in 16th.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 |
West Ham
WHU
|
11 | -6 | 12 |
| 15 |
Leicester
LEI
|
11 | -7 | 10 |
| 16 |
Everton
EVE
|
11 | -7 | 10 |
| 17 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
11 | -10 | 8 |
| 18 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
11 | -7 | 7 |
| 19 |
Wolves
WOL
|
11 | -11 | 6 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
11 | -14 | 4 |
How the match unfolded
Southampton needed just five minutes to hit the front, regaining possession in a promising area before Lallana slid a delicate pass into Dibling, who took a fine first touch to escape Jacob Greaves before slotting home.
Dibling became the fourth-youngest Southampton player to score in the Premier League, aged 18 years, seven months and five days old.
Ipswich should have levelled in the 12th minute, but the unmarked Sam Szmodics could only head straight at Aaron Ramsdale.
Southampton missed a golden opportunity to go 2-0 up after 27 minutes, Cameron Archer rounding Arijanet Muric but seeing his shot bounce off the upright in a huge let-off for the visitors.
Dara O'Shea saw a header pushed away by Ramsdale shortly before half-time, then Archer passed up another great chance within five minutes of the restart, seeing his shot on the stretch clawed away by Muric.
Szmodics crashed an effort into the side netting at the other end, while Southampton substitute Ben Brereton Diaz fired over from a good position with 10 minutes left – a miss that would prove costly.
With just two minutes of stoppage time to play, Morsy seized upon a half-cleared corner on the edge of the box before unleashing a ferocious volley, which glanced off Jan Bednarek before finding the top-left corner.
Dibling efforts go unrewarded
Southampton showed plenty of promise in their first four games of the season, but their shortcomings at both ends of the pitch had many comparing them to Vincent Kompany's Burnley side of 2023/24, who were relegated despite winning admiration for their possession-based approach.
Last week, local boy Dibling was introduced to Southampton's line-up versus Manchester United at St Mary's and had an immediate impact, tormenting Diogo Dalot time and again and winning a first-half penalty.
However, team-mate Archer failed to beat Andre Onana, and the Red Devils swiftly punished Southampton at the other end, ultimately cruising to a 3-0 victory.
It was a similar story on Saturday, with Dibling's languid dribbling style and burst of pace causing Ipswich all sorts of problems and putting Martin's men in a position to win the game, a position they ultimately could not exploit.
There was a hint of fortune about the way in which Morsy's late strike deflected beyond Ramsdale's reach to deny Southampton their first win of 2024/25, but hard-luck stories only go so far in the Premier League.
With back-to-back away games against AFC Bournemouth and Arsenal up next for the Saints, they need to start turning their promise into something tangible.
Smash and grab for Tractor Boys
Ipswich's wait for a first Premier League victory since April 2002, when they beat Middlesbrough 1-0, goes on, but Kieran McKenna will no doubt have breathed a huge sigh of relief at full-time.
His team had played themselves into trouble for Southampton's goal, Axel Tuanzebe missing a chance to clear his lines before the hosts recovered possession in a promising position, while they also failed to create too much in the way of clear-cut chances.
Indeed, after Szmodics hit the side netting early in the second half, Southampton appeared relatively comfortable and squandered several half-chances to extend their lead.
But when it mattered most, Morsy came up with a captain's contribution, rifling home his first Premier League goal to ensure Ipswich did not leave the south coast with nothing.
If Ipswich are to extend their stay in the top flight beyond a single season, they will need to show that kind of resilience on a regular basis.
Club reports
Southampton report | Ipswich report
What the managers said
Russell Martin: “It's hard to take, it's really hard to accept that we haven't won the game. I'm really angry that we don't stick to the detail of what we've worked on, especially defending set plays late on in the game because anxiety took over or whatever, but it's not how it should look when they score.”
Kieran McKenna: "It was a fantastic way to finish the game. For the captain to step up and strike it well and for the goal to come in front of the away supporters to get a point is a great thing for the group to go through."
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Southampton remain winless in 18 Premier League matches (D5 L13), since a 1-0 win against Leicester City in March 2023.
All three of Ipswich’s Premier League goals this season have come from outside the box – they’re the fifth side in Premier League history to have each of their first three goals in a single campaign come from distance, after Aston Villa (1993/94), Arsenal (2002/03), Fulham (2009/10) and Burnley (2016/17).
At 18 years and 217 days, Dibling became Southampton’s fourth youngest goalscorer in the Premier League after Michael Obafemi (18y 169d), Dexter Blackstock (18y 177d) and Sam Gallagher (18y 181d).
Lallana has provided two assists in his three Premier League games since returning to Southampton, as many goal involvements as he managed in his previous 31 appearances in the competition (one goal and one assist).
