Kevin Keegan came back to haunt his old club this evening as Second Division Fulham sent the Saints tumbling out of the League Cup courtesy of Dirk Lehmann’s winning goal at the Dell.
Dave Jones had hoped that James Beattie’s equaliser at Craven Cottage would kickstart their stuttering season but that appears to have been optimistic in the extreme. Since the Saints were fortunate to escape with an away goal from the first leg, they were lucky to draw with Tottenham and, after this damaging defeat, have still yet to win a game this term. Familiar failures underpinned this shock result, which Fulham fully merited after profiting from some generous defending.
Carlton Palmer endured a night to forget, firstly slipping and presenting possession to Peter Beardsley. The veteran forward might have lost some of his pace over the years but he still has the vision that took him to the very top and picked out Lehmann, who gleefully guided a finish beyond Paul Jones. To make matters worse, Palmer – who had been booked as early as the second minute – was then sent off for a late challenge on Lehmann.
Southampton struggled to get back in the tie. The closest they came was from a trademark Matt Le Tissier free-kick, which whistled over the crossbar, whilst Mark Hughes, operating in midfielder after Palmer’s dismissal, was surrounded by yellow shirts at every turn. Given their numerical advantage, it was no surprise that Fulham looked the likelier scorers with Wayne Collins going close twice in the second period. First, he narrowly failed to turn home Kit Symons’ header at the back post before being denied by a brilliant save from Jones after he had worked a lovely one-two with Steve Hayard and pulled the trigger from outside the box.
SOUTHAMPTON (4-3-3): Jones; Dodd, Bridge, Lundekvam, Benali; Palmer, Gibbons, Le Tissier; Beattie (Basham 45), Ostenstadt, Hughes. Subs (not used): Moss, Marshall, Warner.
BOOKED: Palmer.
SENT OFF: Palmer.
FULHAM (4-4-2): Taylor; Uhlenbeek (Neilson 88), Brevett, Symons, Coleman; Bracewell, Morgan, Hayward, W. Collins (Trollope 67); Lehmann, Beardsley. Subs (not used): Arendse, Brooker.
GOAL: Lehmann (10).
REFEREE: Paul Durkin (Leicestershire).
ATTENDANCE: 11,645.
