Premier League: Southampton 2 Fulham 2

Jose Fonte’s equaliser with minutes remaining saw Southampton salvage a point in a 2-2 draw at home to Fulham in the English Premier League.

Southampton took the lead in the match at St Mary’s Stadium through a Fonte header at the near post from an accurate Adam Lallana corner just four minutes in.

Having already thrown away nine points from winning positions so far this term, the hosts resorted to type in the second half on Sunday when Jos Hooiveld turned a stinging strike from John Arne Riise into his own net to bring the scores level.

Fulham took the lead for the first time through Kieran Richardson with two minutes remaining in normal time after he converted Sascha Reither’s excellent low cross, but Fonte responded by nodding in his second of the game to make it 2-2 in the 90th minute.

After a bright start from the hosts, their pressure told when Fonte managed to guide in a deft header into the far post from an in-swinging Lallana corner.

With Fulham dominating possession but creating little, Jason Puncheon had an effort cleared off the line and then a goal chalked off for fouling Mark Schwarzer after a series of dangerous set-pieces.

Trying to put a lacklustre opening half behind them, Fulham went close to troubling the scorers on the hour mark, when Maya Yoshida deflected the ball onto his own post under pressure from Steve Sidwell.

Southampton goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga then pulled off an excellent stop to deny Hugo Rodallega from point-blank range.

The visitors did not have to wait much longer to find an equaliser when, in the 69th minute, after spreading the ball around the pitch, the ball worked its way out to Riise on the edge of the box.

The fullback drove a vicious effort toward goal and saw substitute Hooiveld deflect it right into the top-left corner of the net.

Fulham went ahead in the 87th minute through substitute Richardson, who had his effort deflected home past Gazzaniga after some great work by Reither down the right touchline.

However, the drama did not end there, Fonte nodding in his second of the afternoon at the back post after getting the better of Brede Hangeland in the air from yet another superb Lallana free-kick.

Despite the hosts piling the pressure on with some hopeful punts into the box, Fulham managed to hold on and both sides shared the spoils at the final whistle.