Report: Saints held to a draw by Watford

The visitors got off to a dream start when Cameron Archer marked his first league start of the season with an early goal, enough for the visitors to take a lead into the break.

Saints, who headed to Vicarage Road unbeaten in their last nine league visits, were pegged back on 64 minutes when substitute Kwadwo Baah emphatically fired beyond Gavin Bazunu.

With the game in the balance, Ryan Manning restored the Reds’ advantage with yet another sumptuous free-kick, only for Nestory Irankunda to gazump the Irishman with his own special from a set-play just three minutes later to force a share of the spoils.

Looking to bounce back from a first league defeat of the season seven days ago, Will Still made four changes to his eleven.

Finn Azaz, signed on Friday from Middlesbrough, went straight into the line-up originally in place of Jay Robinson, although the teenager was restored to start when Flynn Downes dropped out ahead of kick-off through illness.

Finn Azaz was handed a debut at Vicarage Road (Photo: Matt Watson)

Elsewhere, Ryan Manning took the injured Welington’s place at left wing-back, while Archer and Mads Roerslev were rewarded for impressive Carabao Cup displays at Norwich in midweek with starts in place of Adam Armstrong and the departed Mateus Fernandes.

After the Hornets threatened to sting in the opening exchanges, Saints wafted away the early danger and struck themselves after just nine minutes.

When Robinson was denied by a smart Egil Selvik stop to win a corner, the hosts weren’t to be let off. Manning’s out-swinging corner perfectly found Nathan Wood whose header was miscued fortuitously into the path of Archer, who was lurking six yards out to rifle home his second goal of the week.

The opener sparked Irankunda into life, as the Watford summer signing couldn’t end a mesmerising run with a finish to match from 20 yards, before firing a 25-yard free-kick over the bar just before the 20-minute mark, as the hosts looked to restore parity.

Archer got his first league goal of the season (Photo: Matt Watson)

Momentary celebrations for those in yellow were then cut short when Hector Kyprianou’s headed goal from a corner was ruled out instantaneously by referee Farai Hallam for a foul on Bazunu.

Saved by the referee’s whistle, Saints were then saved by the heel of Wood, as the defender got a vital touch to Irankunda’s attempt to find strike partner Luca Kjerrumgaard who would’ve had a clear shot on goal from 12 yards.

It wasn’t one way traffic, however, as Still’s side continued to look a threat at the other end and the hosts were yet to register a shot on target. In fact, Archer almost made it a brace on the half-hour mark when he found space to get off a shot from the angle, only for his low effort to lack the power necessary to beat Selvik.

Not satisfied with a one goal lead, Saints pressed for a second as the half-time whistle closed in, with Azaz almost getting his magical moment on debut.

Jeremy Ngakia’s attempted clearance was blocked by Manning, with the ball looping across to the other side of the box where the Republic of Ireland international was running onto it, with his first-time half-volley gathered at the second attempt by Selvik to keep Archer’s goal as the difference at the halfway point.

Nathan Wood made vital contributions at both ends in the first half (Photo: Matt Watson)

Now attacking the travelling Saints fans, those from Hampshire almost had another goal to celebrate early in the second half.

Archer, who posed a constant threat, was at the heart of the action again. Firstly miscuing an Azaz cross wide of the target, before the striker was then denied by a magnificent Max Alleyne block, as the Saints Academy product got back to make a vital intervention for the Hornets after Roerslev had picked out his teammate brilliantly.

Perhaps fortunate to only be a goal down and with the game creeping into the final half-an-hour, Paulo Pezzolano looked to swing the pendulum of momentum back in favour of his side with an attacking change.

The duo of Rocco Vata and Baah were introduced and combined to find the game’s equaliser less than 10 minutes later. Vata’s cross-field ball found Baah who wrestled free of Manning who was left clutching his face on the floor, with the referee unmoved as Baah rifled a strike into the far corner beyond Bazunu to tee up an intriguing conclusion.

Looking for his own substitutes to make an impact, Still made a triple change with 15 minutes remaining as Damion Downs, Kuryu Matsuki and Armstrong came on for Robinson, Ryan Fraser and Archer.

Ryan Manning scored a second free-kick of the season (Photo: Matt Watson)

However, it was Manning who was to make his mark with a second stunning free-kick in four games. Positioned 20 yards from goal, the full-back guided a curling effort perfectly around the wall and into the bottom corner to send the away end into raptures.

Sensing it was going to take something special to separate the two sides, Watford responded three minutes later with an extraordinary effort of their own.

Irankunda, who had teased at his free-kick prowess in the first half, stepped up from all of 25 yards and gazumped Manning with an even sweeter strike from a deadball situation to once again peg back the visitors and force a third straight draw between the two sides in Hertfordshire.

Watford: Selvik, Ngakia (Andrews 90+2’), Alleyne ( Vata 57’), Keben, Abankwah, Bola, Sissoko (c), Kyprianou, Kayembe (Baah 57’), Kjerrumgaard (Semedo 84’), Irankunda (Doumbia 83’).

Unused substitutes: Baxter, Pollock, Morris, Dele-Bashiru.

Goals: Baah (64’), Irankunda (81’).

Booked: Irankunda, Abankwah.

Southampton: Bazunu, Roerslev (Edwards 88’), Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Stephens (c), Manning, Charles, Fraser (Matsuki 76’), Robinson (Downs 76’), Azaz (Stewart 84’), Archer (Armstrong 76’).

Unused substitutes: McCarthy, Long, Quarshie, Taylor.

Goals: Archer (10’), Manning (78’).

Booked: Manning, Harwood-Bellis, Charles, Matsuki, Downs.

Referee: Farai Hallam

Attendance: 19,075