After days in which column inches and air-time has been dominated by the man who has brought darkness and dishonour to the Stadium of Light, the players Adam Johnson left behind at least produced a positive for their vociferous followers.
Defeat would, no doubt, have been accompanied by excuses proffered about the off-field distraction of the Johnson court case, but there was never any chance of that here. While a second point in five days means they have inched further towards safety, in truth the visitors should have secured victory after Jermain Defoe rose from the bench just before the hour to beat goalkeeper Fraser Forster with his 14th goal of the season and what looked certain to be winner. Saints had by then been reduced to 10-men, following the dismissal of captain Jose Fonte.
Virgil van Dijk forced a stoppage-time equaliser for a fortunate Southampton, a long way below their optimum for too much of this contest.
Several of Sam Allardyce’s visiting side played in the humiliating 8-0 defeat at St Mary’s last season, including goalkeeper Vito Mannone who was beaten twice in the first 18 minutes in that drubbing. Yesterday, he enjoyed a distinctly quieter start. It was not until Dusan Tadic picked up Graziano Pelle’s nod-down and let fly with an effort that deflected off Patrick van Aanholt that the goalkeeper was seriously called into action, making a spectacular save. Approaching half-time, Oriol Romeu slid in but found Mannone well placed.
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But it was Allardyce’s men who carried the greater threat, with Fabio Borini, frustrated at lack of minutes on the field of late but who started here, and Wahbi Khazri both menacing the home rearguard.
Forster, not at his best after that long stretch on the sidelines, misjudged Khazri’s inswinging free kick, but fortunately for the England man the ball struck a post. Approaching the break, Jack Rodwell failed to connect cleanly with Van Aanholt’s cross and just after it, Borini’s volley was just too high and then found Forster blocking his path.
Defoe appeared just before the hour, but it was Borini who continued to look the likeliest to effect a breakthrough and as the Italian scampered towards goal, he was hauled down by the otherwise excellent Fonte, who was dismissed by referee Neil Swarbrick. Van Aanholt forced a splendid save from Forster with the resulting free kick, but with six minutes remaining Defoe gave the goalkeeper no chance after Lamine Kone had delivered a ball into the box. However, Saints finally rose to the challenge and Van Dijk grabbed an unmerited equaliser for Ronald Koeman’s men.
Southampton: Forster, Martina, Fonte, Van Dijk, Bertrand, Romeu, Clasie (Juanmi 65min), Davis (Ward-Prowse 65min), Mane (Yoshida 83min), Tadic, Pelle
Sunderland: Mannone, Yedin, Kone, Kaboul, Van Aanholt, Kirchhoff (O’Shea 90+1), Borini, M’Vila, Rodwell, Khazri (Larsson 76min), N’Doye (Defoe (59min)