Edozie equaliser extends Saints' unbeaten run

The visitors, attacking towards a near-3,000 away following, dominated possession and earned a host of corners, but struggled to test goalkeeper Brad Collins in the first half.

Coventry had been pinned back for much of it, but came close through Jamie Allen before Ellis Simms forced a save from Gavin Bazunu in stoppage time.

The hosts’ improvement continued at the start of the second period, as Callum O’Hare struck the crossbar shortly before Haji Wright fired the Sky Blues in front in the 50th minute.

But Russell Martin used his substitutes to good effect when Ryan Fraser and fellow replacement Edozie combined to level the scores, as the latter smartly finished the former’s left-wing cross.

Saints pushed for a winner, coming close through Joe Aribo, Coventry’s Bobby Thomas and Adam Armstrong, who clipped the crossbar 15 minutes from time, but were forced to settle for a second successive 1-1 draw on the road.

Martin made one change to his starting line-up from Saturday’s stalemate at Watford, as Will Smallbone replaced Carlos Alcaraz.

There was a fluid look about Saints from the first whistle. At times Stuart Armstrong was occupying the centre-forward role, while Aribo rotated between a central and wide-left position.

Coventry were also having a hard time pinning down their movements, as the visitors assumed full control of the contest.

There was an early statement of intent from Kyle Walker-Peters, who set off surging down the right all the way from his own half to the byline, but couldn’t quite pick out a teammate.

Kyle Walker-Peters takes on Coventry's Callum O'Hare

Former Coventry loanee Adam Armstrong, who scored 20 goals for the Sky Blues in his only season with the club, tested goalkeeper Collins with a low left-footer, before skipping inside and seeing his 10-yard drive blocked miraculously by defender Thomas.

Then from a corner that was taken short, Stuart Armstrong’s deep cross was met by a tremendous leap from Shea Charles to head the ball back into the danger zone, only for the Coventry defence to smuggle the ball to safety.

The hosts’ first prominent threat arrived 20 minutes in through left-sided livewire Wright, who dribbled the ball a long way, beating Walker-Peters but not Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who not only blocked his shot but controlled it and passed his way out.

Both sides traded tentative penalty appeals midway through the half. First Ché Adams fed Adam Armstrong through the middle, who was barged to the floor, but it was deemed to be shoulder to shoulder by the referee.

Then O’Hare turned away from Smallbone in the box, who went to ground, but O’Hare was already off balance and contact was minimal, if forthcoming at all.

Adam Armstrong continued to trouble his ex-employers, smartly bringing down a Ryan Manning cross and shooting sharply on his left foot, but just fractionally too high to find the net.

At the other end Allen sent a low drive skidding just wide, which was as close as either side had come to an opener.

The Sky Blues came close in the only minute of first-half added time when Simms escaped in behind the Saints backline, latching on to Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s through ball, but Bazunu stood tall and blocked his shot.

Adam Armstrong came closest to a winner, clipping the crossbar against his former club

Coventry’s improvement continued into the second period, as O’Hare crashed a shot against Bazunu’s crossbar when Milan van Ewijk found space down the right.

Saints did not heed the warning, as Manning was soon caught in possession by O’Hare, who saw Wright in space on the left and found the American, who skipped inside Harwood-Bellis and buried a low shot past Bazunu to open the scoring.

Martin responded with a double change on the hour, introducing natural width in Fraser, who played on the left, and Edozie, who went over to the right, for Charles and Adams.

Edozie’s first involvement was to pick out Stuart Armstrong on the edge of the box, whose low shot was smothered by Collins, but it was better from Saints.

The two substitutes combined to deadly effect to level the scores midway through the second half, seven minutes after their introduction.

Stuart Armstrong fed Fraser, whose left-footed cross was flicked on by Adam Armstrong and finished, with two very good touches, by Edozie, who drilled the ball into the ground and found the corner.

Saints were back in the ascendancy. Aribo sent a 20-yard curler inches over, before another Fraser cross, this time along the ground, was diverted just wide by the relieved Thomas.

With 15 minutes to go, Adam Armstrong had his best chance of the night at the end of some slick Saints interplay involving Aribo, Walker-Peters and Stuart Armstrong.

Saints’ top scorer fired one shot against a defender and skimmed the crossbar with the rebound – a much better opportunity – that will leave the striker with regret he wasn’t able to hit the target.

Martin threw on Alcaraz and Sékou Mara in search of a winner, but it was Bazunu who was called upon in stoppage time to turn aside Ben Sheaf’s vicious shot and preserve a point.

Coventry: Collins, van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitching, Bidwell (Dasilva 81), Sheaf (c), O'Hare (Palmer 81), Allen (Eccles 81), Sakamoto, Simms, Wright.

Unused substitutes: Wilson, McFadzean, Latibeaudiere, Binks, Ayari, Godden.

Goal: Wright (50’)

Southampton: Bazunu, Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Manning, Smallbone (Alcaraz 90), Charles (Fraser 60), S Armstrong, Aribo, A Armstrong (c) (Mara 90), Adams (Edozie 60).

Unused substitutes: Lumley, Stephens, Holgate, Bree, Dibling.

Goal: Edozie (67’)

Yellow cards: Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Aribo.

Referee: Ben Toner

Attendance: 23,996 (2,908 away).