Perhaps all is not lost for Russell Martin? Having watched them chase shadows for the first hour against high-flying Brighton, the Southampton manager saw his side finally pick up their first away point of the season thanks to an inspirational performance from the teenager Tyler Dibling.

Had VAR not ruled out a winning goal from Cameron Archer for a dubious offside then this really would have been a night to savour for Martin, who was forced to hand the 29-year-old goalkeeper Joe Lumley his Premier League debut. But while the draw moves Brighton up to the dizzy heights of second place, Fabian Hürzeler will be disappointed not to have finished the job after Kaoru Mitoma headed them in front during a first half of almost total domination.