SAINTS showed why you cannot rule them out, despite their struggles, by securing an impressive 1-1 draw against Brighton on Friday evening.
They came from behind to claim their first away result of the season. Flynn Downes cancelled out Kaoru Mitoma's first-half strike with his maiden Premier League goal.
The solace felt by those with a Saints affiliation was best encapsulated by the 'scenes' behind the goal as Downes effort rippled in the net.
Ryan Manning turned to the supporters, who were bouncing in ecstasy and released a roar of relief. Everyone else ran straight to Downes.
This point is all-important. After two straight defeats saw them lose distance in the race to avoid relegation, Southampton have cauterized the wound, for now at least.
The result has taken Brighton temporarily up to second. Points against top sides were viewed as a bonus by club bosses ahead of the season.
It would be impossible to review this game without mentioning the obvious. Those at Southampton feel they have been let down by a VAR decision yet again.
Cameron Archer thought he had turned things around when he fired past a motionless Bart Verbruggen with 23 minutes left on the clock.
A lengthy VAR check followed as they first worked out if Archer was onside - he was - before switching their attention to Adam Armstrong - who was offside.
#BHASOU – 68’
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) November 29, 2024
The referee’s call of no goal was checked and confirmed by the VAR as Armstrong was in an offside position and deemed to be impacting Verbruggen’s ability to play the ball. pic.twitter.com/d7DXvQqTet
The 27 year old, who had moved towards Verbruggen but beyond Ryan Fraser's cross, was adjudged to be impeeding the Dutch goalkeeper.
Martin sought an explanation from the officials following the game. This is not the first time he has been forced to do so either.
You will be hard-pressed to find non-Brighton voices that do not share the same viewpoint as those at Saints.
Archer's goal should have marked the second they overturned a 1-0 deficit to lead 2-1 this week.
For all of their defensive fragilities, this Saints team is not a side that gives in. No matter how many times we feel as though they could get thumped, they don't.
Yes, they have conceded three goals on too many occasions but in years gone by, three would have quickly turned to four, five or six. They hang in.
Fixtures during the festive period come thick and fast. Attention has to switch to the next opponent quickly. Incidents during Friday's game drew Wednesday's home clash against Chelsea into stark focus.
It is not uncommon to lose a player to a five-yellow card ban, especially this deep into the first suspension window, which runs through to week 19.
"I think the frustrating thing for us is a couple of them are for dissent and stuff on the pitch, which shouldn't happen," Martin told the Daily Echo.
"If they are good fouls and good yellow cards for the team, which Tyler's was, then you can accept it. We asked for more aggression and we got that."
Despite their massive squad, Southampton are quickly finding themselves down to the bare bones.
Taking those banned players into account, they could be without six men Martin would call upon in his 'best XI'.
Martin elected not to use Alex McCarthy and Paul Onuachu in order to avoid potentially exacerbating their injuries.
A positive fitness verdict for the duo will give Martin a small selection boost at a time when his near-endless options are depleting rapidly.
Downes was lucky not to see another yellow against Brighton. He walked the tightrope, and appeared to fall off a few times, yet the referee did not show him a second booking.
With Jan Bednarek already out, losing Harwood-Bellis is an issue. He has started 12 of the 13 Premier League games so far but Saints do have options to replace him.
— 24hrs (@JrxClips) November 30, 2024
Losing Dibling is perhaps the biggest sting. The 18 year old continues to show why Martin rates him as one of the best young players in the country."
Without him, Martin will need to find another route to goal. He has played a key role in their last three goals - and helped create Archer's ruled-out goal too.
Southampton don't have another player similar to Dibling. That is why his impact has been felt in such force.
The England under-21 international leads the way for shot-creating actions at Saints (33) and has created the joint most shots (eight) from take-ons.
You could argue that losing all three for the same match is better than losing one across three separate games. Better to rip the bandage off and get them back for Aston Villa away.
No matter the personnel available on Wednesday, Martin's charges need to use the confidence gained from back-to-back performances to continue the positive feeling.
A steep hill is easier to climb when spirits are high. Southampton cannot afford to wilfully roll backwards into the Championship.
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