Southampton vs Leeds United. Premier League.
St. Mary's StadiumAttendance30,815.
Report and match highlights as Southampton overturned a two-goal deficit to earn their first points of the 2022/23 season; Leeds forward Rodrigo scored a second-half double, taking his seasonal tally to three; Substitute Joe Aribo and Kyle Walker-Peters found the net for Saints
Sunday 14 August 2022 11:55, UK
Southampton came from two goals down to salvage a point in an entertaining 2-2 draw with Leeds on a stiflingly hot afternoon at St Mary's Stadium.
Rodrigo fired the visitors into a two-goal lead by the hour-mark as Leeds looked on course for their second victory of the season, before a tactical switch from Ralph Hasenhuttl gave Saints a much-needed lifeline.
"The team gave the answer today," the Saints manager responded when asked about what changed in the second period to ensure his side did not emerge empty-handed from their first home tie of the new campaign, while opposite number Jesse Marsch concluded that the "glass remains half-full" despite squandering a two-goal advantage.
Joe Aribo, introduced from the bench, reduced arrears for the hosts with 20 minutes remaining, before Kyle Walker-Peters earned a share of the spoils by latching onto Sekou Mara's defence-splitting pass in the 81st minute.
The draw ends a run of five consecutive Premier League defeats for Hasenhuttl's side, who apologised for "destroying a few headlines" in the aftermath of the comeback, while Leeds continue an unbeaten start to their campaign as Rodrigo became the first player to register three goals in the Whites' opening two games since Alan Smith in the 2000-01 season.
The fightback will also go some way to easing pressure on Hasenhuttl's somewhat precarious position, which has been under fire over the past week after a heavy loss to Tottenham on opening weekend, but questions over defensive fragilities will remain having shipped another two goals - adding to the four surrendered against Spurs.
Southampton produced a rousing second-half resurgence, scoring two goals inside nine minutes, to snatch a draw from the clutches of Leeds who looked good value for all three points prior to the 61st-minute introduction of Aribo and Adam Armstrong.
Rodrigo had fired Leeds into the lead within 30 seconds of the second-half restart, latching onto Jack Harrison's front-post cross and applying a deft touch to beat 20-year-old goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu on his home debut.
Saints were then undone again by Rodrigo, who nodded home Pascal Struijk's flick-on from close range, before Hasenhuttl looked to his bench for redemption.
Substitute Aribo rounded Illan Meslier to put a dent in the scoreline after some neat work from Armstrong on the left wing, paving way for Walker-Peters to capitalise on a significant momentum shift when collecting Sekou Mara's incisive pass and drilling home from a tight angle.
It was Southampton who finished the game on top, crucially avoiding defeat for the first time in their last six Premier League games, since drawing with Brighton in April.
Southampton boss, Ralph Hasenhuttl:
"Sorry that we destroyed a few headlines. It may have already been written at that moment. The team gave the answer.
"We had a tough week because of some circumstances but the team gave a great reaction. We had very tough temperatures today, but they were flying in the end and trying everything to win this game.
"It was a good comeback from our side. The team gave the answer today. We have to move forward now. But we also have to see why we're conceding goals again. When you are two down you have to go for it.
"I don't want to discuss headlines, it's very unserious to speak about that. Everybody can say something, on social media or whatever. Our job is always tough.
"But I know about my team and the trust of the players. We invest so much every day. Every sub was very good today. We spoke about game changers for us. We showed for the first time about five subs helping us massively."
Leeds boss, Jesse Marsch:
"We're disappointed with a point. We have to see through the trees a bit and see that the performance was quite good. On set-pieces, we were stable and finding ways to be dangerous.
"The glass is half full. The group is making progress and individuals are on a high level.
"At 2-1 we switched to five at the back. It's a little frustrating. Tactically making that shift, to still get beat again it's painful. However, there's a bit of maturity at play. We're still a young team.
"Of course, there are a couple of changes and looking back on it, can we manipulate the game a little earlier? Maybe.
"Patrick [Bamford] is not bad. He felt a bit of tightness in his abductor. He felt like he wasn't 100 per cent. He made the right decision to come off. We wanted to make sure we manage him the right way.
"But Rodrigo is playing so well. [An additional] striker has always been on our minds, but we're doing it in the right way. We need to continue to evaluate what move we make."
Sky Sports' Laura Hunter:
"It's an age-old problem. Southampton's defensive naivety continues to cost points. They dropped more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League during the 2021/22 season and that trend continued on opening weekend having got their noses in front at Spurs, only to ship four goals in reply.
"This time they were behind by two goals before staging a remarkable comeback, but the same principle applies - their rearguard is not up to task. Hasenhuttl has tinkered with the formation in an attempt to stem the flow of goals conceded, opting to go with three at the back against Leeds. They were undone twice by the same player - once from open play and once from a set piece.
"'The game should finish differently', scorer Rodrigo said in the aftermath of the stalemate. Undoubtedly it should have, although some credit must be garnered from a spirited final 20 minutes, in which Saints managed to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat.
"They have already been breached six times in two games. If that ratio continues throughout the 2022/23 campaign, they are sure to struggle to retain their top-flight status. Perhaps the nature of the fightback will assuage doubters for now, but the pressure will mount if Hasenhuttl's side continue to concede at an average rate of three per game."
What's next?
Southampton face a trip to Leicester City in their next encounter on August 20, while Leeds host Chelsea the following day on August 21.
