Adam Armstrong scored an 85th-minute winner as Southampton beat Everton 1-0 to earn their first Premier League victory of the season.
The left winger’s late goal helped lift the Saints off the foot of the table on a day where they were also indebted to the heroics of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Everton’s Beto thought he had equalised minutes before the end but, after a lengthy review, the effort was ruled offside as Russell Martin’s promoted side were handed a much-needed boost in their survival bid.
Saints’ theme of dominating possession continued as Everton struggled to breach the hosts’ well-organised structure in the early stages, with new boy Mateus Fernandes being the key link between midfield and attack.
The 20-year-old summer signing from Sporting Lisbon floated in between the lines and continuously picked out Armstrong on the right-hand side, but the wideman struggled to get the better of marker Vitalii Mykolenko.
Saints continued to play football which contradicted their 20th-place position at the start of the weekend, with Flynn Downes putting Cameron Archer in behind only for the striker’s effort to narrowly miss the left post, much to the relief of a well-beaten Jordan Pickford.
Everton had been second best, but with the game level they were still very much in the contest. A first-time strike from Idrissa Gueye off a corner routine early in the second half saw Ramsdale’s save awkwardly spin onto roof of the net as Everton pushed men forward in search of the opener.
The Toffees came close again in the 67th minute. Substitute Jesper Lindstrom wandered onto the left, cut in and delivered a whipped inswinging delivery with his right foot which was met by the head of Michael Keane in the six-yard box. Miraculously, Ramsdale demonstrated instinctive reflexes to touch the ball onto the post, keeping the scores level.
Ramsdale’s heroics continued as he began to outperform opposite number and England number one Pickford. The former Arsenal man, who made the move to the south coast for a reported £18 million in the summer, made another incredible stop, this time tipping Lindstrom’s free-kick over the bar.
Beto hit the bar for Everton after 84 minutes and, typical of the end-to-end affair, Saints surged down the other end to take the lead.
Yukinari Sugawara was unleashed down the right and a simple ball into the middle saw Armstrong jink inside and bury his first-time effort into the bottom left-hand corner.
Beto thought he had salvaged a point with a finish late on, but VAR saved Saints as they won an important and deserved three points.
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