Southampton 1-1 Ipswich Town – Match Report
Skipper Sam Morsy netted a 95th-minute equaliser as Town and Southampton drew 1-1 at St Mary’s. Tyler Dibling’s fifth-minute goal gave the Saints a 1-0 half-time lead against the overall run of play and both sides had chances before Morsy slammed home his first Premier League goal to secure what could prove to be a vital away point.
Town made one enforced change with Jens Cajuste coming in for his full league debut for Kalvin Phillips, absent due to a minor thigh problem.
Cajuste joined Morsy in the centre of midfield with Jack Taylor coming onto the bench with the Blues’ 20 otherwise unchanged.
Southampton made four changes from last week’s 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester United with contract rebel Kyle Walker-Peters, Chelsea loanee Lesley Ugochukwu and Ben Brereton-Diaz all dropping to the bench, and suspended skipper Jack Stephens missing out.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Charlie Taylor, Adam Lallana and ex-Town loanee Ryan Fraser came into the team.
Flynn Downes, the Blues’ youngest-ever captain, skippered the Saints for the first time in Stephens’s absence following his red card last week. Former Blues loan keeper Alex McCarthy was on the bench.
Town started on the front foot taking the game to the home side and might well have gone in front in the second minute.
Wes Burns wafted a cross from the right towards the far post where Sammie Szmodics shot wide. It may have been a tight angle but the former Blackburn man will feel he probably should have done better.
From the goal-kick, Saints keeper Aaron Ramsdale played it out to Downes on the edge of the area, where the former Blues midfielder was out-battled by Cajuste, whose shot was saved by Ramsdale. However, referee Sam Allison had, somewhat harshly, awarded a free-kick against the Sweden international.
Despite Town having started the brighter, the home side took the lead in the fifth minute.
Axel Tuanzebe tried to play out from the back from inside his own area to the right having broken up a Southampton attack but found a Saints player. The ball was moved inside and Lallana played a pass in between Jacob Greaves and Leif Davis for 18-year-old Dibling, who confidently beat Aro Muric to claim his first Premier League goal.
Having gone behind to a poor goal from their perspective, the Blues set about getting back on terms, quickly restoring their early superiority.
On 12, Burns crossed from the right left-footed to Szmodics, who headed straight at Ramsdale and with the linesman’s flag subsequently raised.
Four minutes later, Omari Hutchinson, again playing in the centre of the three behind striker Liam Delap, sent a dangerous ball across from the right after a corner had been played to him at the corner of the box and the ball seemed to flash past both Szmodics and Greaves at the far post.
Aside from the goal, it had been all Town. On 20, Szmodics and Davis were both forced away from goal as they chased a pass looping to the left of the area.
From the resultant corner, the ball was half-cleared to Cajuste, who smashed a shot deep into the Southampton fans behind the goal.
Following the strike, Ramsdale was treated for what looked to be a tactical injury in order to upset Town’s momentum.
