Fit-again Danny Ings comes off the bench to score a late penalty as Saints hit back to defeat Brighton
A late penalty by returning striker Danny Ings put Southampton in fifth place thanks to a 2-1 comeback win at Brighton & Hove Albion.
The home side took the lead on 26 minutes after James Ward-Prowse was penalised for handball and Pascal Gross coolly converted the resulting penalty.
But Saints were level on the stroke of half-time when Jannik Vestergaard’s leap allowed him to direct a brilliant header beyond Mat Ryan in the Brighton goal.
Theo Walcott flashed a fine effort wide before a smart bit of skill by Ings created a chance for Nathan Redmond, whose effort flew over the crossbar.
With time running out, Vestergaard’s pass found Kyle Walker-Peters who was brought down by Solly March.
A VAR check concluded that March had committed the foul in the area and Ings converted from the spot on 81 minutes for his sixth goal of the season.
Southampton are fifth on 20 points, one behind fourth-placed Leicester, while Brighton stay 16th on 10 points.