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Charlie Austin handed Saints a dramatic injury time win over ten man West Ham as Saints finally ended their St Mary’s goal drought.
Manolo Gabbiadini ended a run of 556 Premier League minutes without a Saints goal at St Mary’s to give his side the lead before Marko Arnautovic was sent off for a crazy elbow on Jack Stephens.
Saints looked to have the three points in the bag when Dusan Tadic scored from the penalty spot but they almost let it slip with Javier Hernandez scoring twice.
However, referee Lee Mason handed Saints a second spot kick in stoppage time which Austin converted to secure a 3-2 win and a first Premier League victory for Mauricio Pellegrino.
There was an early scare for Saints as Javier Hernandez held off Jack Stephens and closed in on goal but Maya Yoshida didn’t commit early and was on hand to make a vital tackle as the Hammers striker tried to break into the area.
It was an interesting tactical battle as both teams started out unwilling to overcommit.
Saints were sat very deep and keeping possession around their backline, almost as if to invite West Ham on in a bid to draw them out, but the Hammers were staying disciplined.
West Ham did get a sight of goal on nine minutes as Michail Antonio laid a pass round the outside to Mark Arnautovic. He tried to shoot first time to prevent the angle getting too tight but drilled his effort well wide of the near post.
Moments later Antonio got on the end of a left wing free kick but could only direct his header straight at Fraser Forster.
Saints went grateful as they went straight up the other end on 11 minutes and finally broke their goal drought.
Nathan Redmond played in Manolo Gabbiadini who struck a first time shot across goal. He didn’t get it cleanly but it was directed well enough that Joe Hart couldn’t get to it diving to his left and it was 1-0.
Dusan Tadic became the first player on the book after a very robust challenge on Hernandez.
Antonio got another header on target on 19 minutes but there was much on it and again it was easy for Forster.
Redmond tried an effort from distance up the other end but could only pick out Hart.
Forster had a more taxing save to make a couple of minutes later as Hernandez whipped in a low cross from the right which Arnautovic stooped to head goalwards but the Saints keeper stood tall and deflected it wide off his body.
West Ham were furious that referee Lee Mason took no action when Mario Lemina caught Arnautovic in the face with his leading arm as he jumped into a contest for the ball.
Saints were given a massive boost on 33 minutes when Arnautovic, clearly still seething even though the game had rattled on, retaliated and was sent off.
Jack Stephens was passing the ball out of defence when Arnautovic sprinted from behind to catch him senselessly with an elbow to the side of the face.
Mason had no hesitation in immediately brandishing the red card and there were few arguments, even if he was still clearly incensed that Lemina was let off earlier in the game.
It went from bad to worse for the Hammers as they continued to lose their discipline to give away a penalty.
Of all the people to concede it, it was former Saints star Jose Fonte, who hauled back Davis in the area.
Tadic stepped up to take it and got a massive stroke of luck. He put it down the middle without all that much power. It struck Hart’s legs and looped up but into the net.
Saints sensed the chance to put the game totally out of sight before half time and came close again as Davis fired wide.
However, they let the Hammers back into it just before half time.
Antonio heled off Oriol Romeu and spun to shoot from just outside the box. Forster got down to his left to make the save but Hernandez was alive to the danger and arrived to the follow-up first and sidefooted home.
Cedric Soares sliced wildly over the bar at the far post before an eventful half was brought to a close.
Cedric had the first real opening of the second period too as some great Saints football on the counter attack ended with the right back played in and shooting wide.
Forster decided he needed to take drastic action and turn wide as Hernandez whipped in an inswinging cross from the left.
Mason made himself more unpopular with West Ham as he turned down massive appeals for a penalty on 53 minutes.
Andrew Ayew’s header towards goal was blocked by the raised left arm of Stephens. It did look a penalty even though it was from fairly close range but Mason gave the benefit of the doubt, though he may have been unsighted by a crowd of players.
Saints really needed to step it up. They were facing a different prospect as West Ham had switched to 4-4-1 with Antonio up front to try and use his pace in behind and Hernandez dropping out wide.
Gabbiadini tried to make something happen with an audacious drive from 25 yards out that clipped the top of the bar.
Hernandez had his own go from distance up the other end but fired narrowly wide before Tadic tried to be more positive and forced Hart to save at his near post.
Saints made a first change on 65 minutes with James Ward-Prowse replacing Lemina.
West Ham responded with Diafra Sakho and Edimilson Fernandes coming on for Antonio and Ayew.
It did the trick as well as West Ham levelled things up on 74 minutes.
Richard Cresswell whipped in a cross from the left that picked out the head of Sakho. He had got ahead of Maya Yoshida and powered in a shot that Forster reacted superbly to get an arm to and turn onto the underside of the bar.
It was again Hernandez who reacted quickest and produced a superb first time finish to equalise.
Saints made a double change with ten minutes remaining with Charlie Austin and Shane Long replacing Gabbiadini and Davis.
Long got the ball in the back of net on 87 minutes but it was ruled out for a foul by Ryan Bertrand on Hart.
Redmond’s deflected effort skimmed the top of the bar as Saints pushed for a winner before Mason intervened again, awarding a soft stoppage time penalty for a nudge in the back of Yoshida by Pablo Zabaleta.
Austin was the man handed the responsibility this time and sent Hart the wrong way to seal the win.
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