How thrilling winger ignited Southampton FC attack in Spurs comeback

And less than five minutes after Kamaldeen Sulemana, Sekou Mara, and Charly Alcaraz entered the fray, Ivan Perisic killed off the game.

Or so we thought.

Entering the final quarter of an hour, everything was against Saints. Not only were they two goals down with time running out, but to get anything from the occasion, they would need to do what they hadn’t managed all season: score three times in one Premier League match.

Yet by 5PM, Saints fans were celebrating a huge point thanks to James Ward-Prowse’s late penalty. 

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A team built on the fundamental principles of remaining solid was forced to release the handbrake and in doing so they showed the fearlessness needed to achieve an unlikely result that could prove seismic in the relegation dogfight.

There wasn’t one man who orchestrated the comeback. Theo Walcott was crucial. As was Ward-Prowse. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, deputising at centre-back - played his part.

But the bravery and refusal to accept defeat could be summed up by one of those three substitutes - one of the newest Saints - Kamaldeen.

After a thrilling full debut against Wolves, Kamaldeen has struggled through growing pains as he adapts to life in the Premier League. Six consecutive starts yielded moments of joy here and there but nothing concrete and no goals or assists.

On Saturday, the 21-year-old started on the bench for just the first time since that full debut and tasked with the role of super sub, Kamaldeen stepped up.

No Saints player managed more than his 21 touches after his introduction while his six attempted dribbles were more than any other player on the pitch, even those who played the full game.

In short, when Saints were desperate and crying out for inspiration, it was Kamaldeen who provided it. It was Kamaldeen who fought to make something happen and while he wasn’t directly involved in either goal, it was Kamaldeen who set the tone for an improbable recovery.

Largely operating off of the left, Kamaldeen was a magnet for his teammates, a near constant option to go to with the ball, frequently (as seen in his touch map below) in the most dangerous areas of the pitch.

Kamaldeen Sulemana's touch map vs Spurs. (Image: WhoScored)

At various points this season - and as recently as the 2-0 Brentford defeat - Saints have struggled to find outlets in attack where the ball sticks while link-up between players has been limited. That wasn't the case with Kamaldeen who was a constant help to his fellow Saints.

In the example blow, Romeo Lavia has the ball at his feet with limited Spurs pressure around him. Kamaldeen can be seen calling for the ball after drifting inside and checking in towards the Belgian.

Kamaldeen's positioning allows Romain Perraud to stay high and wide and after the winger plays the ball back to Lavia, it's recycled out to the French full-back.

Almost constantly on the move, Kamaldeen sees the attack developing and continues into a position where Perraud can find him.

There's a reason why Kamaldeen touched the ball more than any other Saints player from the moment he stepped onto the pitch and it's not just that his side was required to attack as they chased back the deficit. 

The speed of thought and speed of action displayed by Kamaldeen throughout his cameo - and in the above example - makes him an incredibly friendly teammate, always on hand to circulate the ball and keep attacks moving.

Here is another example as he comes deep and inside to receive the ball from Mohammed Salisu.

The young attacker immediately turns with the ball and starts dribbling down the line, leaving Dejan Kulusevski in his dust as Perraud makes a smart run inside to offer support.

Kamaldeen though, decides to use Perraud's run as a decoy and instead drives inside where he comes up against both Pedro Porro and Christian Romero. He sidesteps the lunge of Porro before seeing the ball knicked by the second Spurs defender at the last second.

On this occasion it doesn't come off but we see many of the attributes in Kamaldeen's game that do lead to success and helped inspire Saints' comeback.

There's the movement to the receive the ball, the drive and skill to take players on, and the magnetic energy that pulls Spurs players out of position and toward him - thereby helping others find space.

All of these elements come together in the passage of play below that so nearly led to a goal for Sekou Mara.

When the ball breaks to Charly Alcaraz with space to counter into, the midfielder has one player ahead in space - Kamaldeen.

The Argentine finds his teammate and after spinning away from a pair of challenges, Kamaldeen starts driving at the heart of the Spurs defence.

By the time he releases the ball to Mara, Kamaldeen has as many as five Spurs players surrounding him, leaving space for the striker to his left as well as Kyle Walker-Peters and Theo Walcott free to his right.

Mara's shot is saved by Fraser Forster before the Frenchman just can't get his toe the follow-up. But it was a moment that typified the kind of attacking bravery that led to Saints' crucial point and it was the kind of moment that instilled panic into a Spurs team that capitulated in the closing stages at St Mary's.

It's unclear what Kamaldeen's role will be throughout the rest of the season. He clearly has unique talent, the kind of talent that isn't overflowing in this Saints squad. But he's also disappeared at times in his fledgling Premier League career.

Could super-sub or game-changer off the bench be the secret to getting the most out of Kamaldeen? There's no answer to that question just yet but regardless, it's an exciting weapon at Ruben Selles's disposal.