Maybe all is not lost for Russell Martin? After watching them chase shadows for the first hour against high-flying Brighton, the Southampton The manager saw his team finally get their first away point of the season thanks to an inspiring performance from teenager Tyler Dibling.
Had VAR not ruled out Cameron Archer's winning goal for a doubtful offside, this would have been a night truly to savor for Martin, who clashed with counterpart Fabian Hürzeler at the final whistle in a poor finish. humor. to procedures on the south coast.
While the draw takes Brighton to the dizzying heights of second place by virtue of their superior head-to-head record against champions Manchester City, Hürzeler was bitterly disappointed not to have finished the job after Kaoru Mitoma headed them ahead during the first half. of almost total domination. His team were unable to respond to a spirited fightback sparked by Dibling and saw Flynn Downes equalize before the game's controversial moment when Adam Armstrong was judged to have been interfering with play from an offside position, leaving Martin furious.
“I understand why they don't give it in the heat of the moment, so I'm not mad at them,” he said. “It is about interpretation and in my opinion it does not affect the goalkeeper. So that's a bad decision.”
Hürzeler acknowledged that Brighton must become more ruthless after squandering a number of chances and was unhappy with Martin or the referee's decision not to show Downes a second yellow card.
“It's important to have mutual respect,” he said of his dispute with the Southampton manager. “How they talk to each other on the bench, I think that's the most important thing. “That's how I was educated.”
Martin insisted there was no problem with his rival, but admitted he had been bothered by the number of times Hürzeler asked the referee to caution his players. “Respect is reciprocal, it is mutual,” he said. “I never knew it was at that level.”
Hürzeler had warned that his team would have to struggle against a Southampton team that likes to maintain possession, but it was fourth goalkeeper Joe Lumley who received a baptism of fire during a frenetic first period. Yukinari Sugawara almost gifted Mitoma the opening goal after losing control under pressure, but his compatriot was unable to finish as Lumley ran out of his goal. Georgino Rutter then shot just wide before hitting the post with a curling shot from outside the area that cannoned towards safety.
Southampton may be vulnerable in defense but showed occasional flashes of their attacking threat, with Dibling forcing Matt O'Riley into a rash challenge that earned the midfielder a yellow card. But any hope he had survived the home team's attack was dashed when Tariq Lamptey's cross eluded the three visitors' centre-backs and Mitoma was able to head a header past Lumley.
It wasn't the last time, tempers flared moments later when Kyle Walker-Peters tackled Rutter right in front of the dugouts and Hürzeler jumped from his seat demanding a booking, much to Martin's clear displeasure. A few words were exchanged and the Brighton manager was eventually given a yellow card, meaning he will receive a touchline penalty for the next game against Fulham on Thursday. “You have to be very careful with what you say in England,” he said later.
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With the impressive Yasin Ayari (the latest example of Brighton's seemingly endless supply of emerging talent) guiding the midfield, the script seemed written for them to extend their lead. Instead, it was Archer who had a golden chance to equalize thanks to an excellent low cross from Sugawara just before half-time, but he couldn't get it right from close range.
Having survived a beautifully flowing Brighton move early in the second half, Southampton were soon up to their old tricks as Lumley gave the ball away while trying to play in from the back and looked relieved to see the danger gone. Taylor Harwood-Bellis went into the book for a cynical body check on Mitoma and Ayari forced Lumley into a save after conceding with a volley.
Southampton desperately needed inspiration from somewhere and it came from the dazzling feet of Dibling. After shrugging off a strong challenge from Ayari, the teenager found Armstrong in the box, but his shot was blocked. The ball eventually found its way back to the striker and his effort deflected into the path of Downes, who made no mistake from 12 yards to stun the home fans into silence.
Martin thought things had gotten even better when another brilliant dribble from Dibling freed substitute Ryan Fraser on the left and Archer tapped. He couldn't believe his luck when the VAR finally ruled out the goal after a significant delay. Dibling forced a save from Bart Verbruggen but Brighton wasted several chances to win, culminating in substitute Simon Adingra hitting the post late on.
