SOUTHAMPTON 2 NORWICH CITY 2 Saints were twice pegged back to draw 2-2 with Norwich at St Mary’s.

Alan Pardew’s men took the lead in both halves but on both occasions the Canaries responded to take away a point from St Mary’s.

The game was played in torrential rain for much of the time and it was a pulsating encounter that could have gone either way with a draw probably a fair result in the end.

Saints were struggling to get a foot on the ball in the opening stages of the game as Norwich bossed possession and pushed them back.

However, Saints were defending pretty solidly, albeit on occasions deeper than they would like, and chances were very hard to come by for either side though you got the sense that both could pose a very real threat at any moment.

And that threat was realised by Saints who scored a top quality opening goal on 11 minutes.

After dancing round three Saints players to keep the ball, Wes Hoolahan’s loose pass across the middle of the pitch was seized upon by David Connolly.

Centre half Gary Doherty was caught between back tracking and closing as Connolly pushed on and the Saints striker responded by sliding the ball into the path of the on-running Adam Lallana.

He shrugged off a challenge and drilled a low shot from just inside the area into Fraser Forster’s bottom left hand corner giving the keeper no chance and making it 1-0.

Kelvin Davis had to make his first save on 17 minutes from a deflected effort by Chris Martin but was comfortably behind it at the near post.

Moments later Dean Hammond rose highest to meet Lloyd James’ corner but his header was turned over the bar by Forster.

After Lallana had another shot in the box blocked Grant Holt had a half chance but on the spin his half volley flew over.

Morgan Schneidelrin drilled a shot into the box on 26 minutes which took a huge deflection and went narrowly wide.

As Saints squeezed on the pressure Rickie Lambert met James’ corner in a crowd of players but from close range could only direct it off target.

Davis was forced to dive to turn away Holt’s low cross into the six yard box but Darel Russell fired the follow up well over the bar.

The team on top kept swinging one way then the other.

Saints looked pretty slick and incisive in patches whereas Holt was proving a nightmare for the Saints defence, winning so much in the air against Neal Trotman and Radhi Jaidi.

Jens Berthel Askou had an opportunity from a free kick but put his free header from 12 yards wide.

The last ten minutes of the half were much like the first ten with neither side able to create a chance.

But that suited Saints who went into the break with their one goal lead intact and a decent platform from which to build.

Holt tried to squeeze the ball beyond Davis from a tight angle just after the restart but the Saints keeper was equal to it.

But disaster struck for Saints when they conceded an equaliser on 54 minutes.

Chris Martin burst down the left and cut into the box. He looked up to ready himself to square the ball to Holt but was brought down by a sliding tackle from behind by James and the referee awarded a penalty and showed the Saints man a yellow card.

Hoolahan stepped up to take it but the spot kick but left footed he struck the post, possibly via the fingertips of Davis diving low to his right.

However, the ball hit the inside of the post and bounced straight back into the path of Hoolahan who gratefully slid it into the empty net for 1-1.

Norwich thought they had taken the lead on 57 minutes when Holt headed home but the linesman had already flagged for a foul in the build up.

Pardew made his first switch a minute later as Graeme Murty replaced Michail Antonio. Murty went to right back with Saints matching up Norwich’s diamond midfield with James sitting deep, Hammond and Schneiderlin in front and Lallana behind the front two.

Lallana was the next in the book for a late challenge on the skiddy surface that was getting wetter and wetter as the rain started to lash down.

But the weather made no difference to Connolly who restored Saints’ lead with a belting goal on 65 minutes.

He picked the ball up wide on the left in a position of littler danger and made his way across the area before unleashing a curling right footed shot from 20 yards that bent past Forster and into top corner for 2-1.

Russell was the next man in the book for a tug on Lallana and was followed by Martin.

Davis had to make a good save on 68 minutes from Martin who unleashed a shot from ten yards out.

Lallana had a great chance to give Saints a cushion a minute later after terrific play from Connolly and Lambert but he fired wide.

Norwich made a double change on 72 minutes with Stephen Hughes and Cody McDonald coming on for Lappin and Hoolahan.

Just three minutes later Norwich were level courtesy of their sub Hughes.

Martin fired in a shot from 25 yards that skidded off the wet surface having bounced just in front of the diving Davis. The keeper could only parry it in front of him and Hughes was first to react, sliding in to turn home.

Hammond came close to a goal with a fierce strike from 20 yards but Forster turned it wide.

Jaidi was next to be booked for bringing down Holt before Hughes had a shot straight at Davis which he held.

Holt came so close to scoring when he flicked a left wing cross round the corner but it went inches wide.

Down the other end Connolly fired just wide as both sides pressed for a winner in the final stages of a terrific game.

Pardew threw on Papa Waigo with five minutes left in place of Lambert before Jacob Mellis came on for Lallana with a minute to go.

In a pulsating four minutes of very wet stoppage time neither side could find a breakthrough and a great game ended with a fair result and the points shared.