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Southampton 1-1 Blackburn

An Andy Cole gave Blackburn an unlikely point at St Mary's Stadium in a game that Southampton dominated.

The visitors had done little throughout the match but were rewarded in the final seconds when Cole grabbed a vital equaliser.

Graeme Souness came to apologise to me afterwards - he didn't know where to look

Gordon Strachan,
Saints manager

Earlier, James Beattie had struck home a penalty to give the hosts a worthy lead and when Tugay was sent off with 15 minutes remaining, Rovers seemed to have little hope.

But the visitors kept going until the end - Brad Freidel keeping them in the game with a series of smart saves - before snatching a point.

Manager Graeme Souness, who managed the Saints during the 1996/7 season, was forced to watch in the stands because of a touchline suspension.

Match facts

38 mins: Beattie converts penalty 1-0

75 mins: Tugay sent off

90 mins: Cole equalises

Southampton dominated the first half and should have emerged with more than the meagre reward of Beattie's spot kick.

Fabrice Fernandes, who scored a splendid goal at Old Trafford in last Saturday's 2-1 defeat, should have done better when he breezed past the visitors' defence, but Friedel held his tame shot.

The American keeper had earlier thrown himself at the feet of Brett Ormerod to prevent a certain opener.

Premiership action in pictures

The one early chance for the visitors fell at the feet of Cole but the former Manchester United man put his shot straight into the arms of Antti Niemi.

I can't fault the penalty but we feel hard done by with the sending-off

Graeme Souness,
Blackburn boss

The penalty, awarded in the 38th minute, was the result of incessant pressure, culminating with Anders Svensson being brought down by Craig Short.

Beattie, who scored a hat-trick in his last home game, beat Friedel with a low right-footed shot.

Martin Taylor did have the ball in the net for the visitors soon afterwards, but he was ruled offside.

Double save

In the early stages of the second half, Friedel made a tremendous double save to deny Ormerod and Chris Marsden within seconds.

Tugay, who had been booked for a foul on Svensson in the first half, received his second yellow card for failing to retreat at a free-kick.

With everything seemingly working against the visitors, they still managed to conjure up an equaliser.

Defender Lucas Neill chased a seemingly lost cause before gaining possession and squaring the ball for Cole, whose right-footed shot from six yards gave Niemi no chance.

Southampton: Niemi, Dodd, Lundekvam, Michael Svensson, Bridge, Marsden, Oakley, Anders Svensson, Fernandes, Beattie, Ormerod (Pahars 72).
Subs Not Used: Jones, Telfer, Delap, Delgado.

Blackburn: Friedel, Neill, Short, Taylor (Todd 62), Curtis (Ostenstad 68), Thompson, Dunn, Tugay, Gillespie, Cole, Yorke.
Subs Not Used: Kelly, Jansen, Grabbi.

Sent Off: Tugay (76).
Booked: Tugay, Neill.

Attendance: 30,059

Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).