Supersub Aribo fires up a revival for Ralph

JOE ARIBO climbed off the bench to spark a Southampton fightback and take the heat off boss Ralph Hasenhuttl at a scorching St Mary’s.

In the soaring temperatures, the Austrian had to swap his usual touchline attire of a shirt, tie and waistcoat for a far more suitable polo shirt and cap.

And then, with disgruntlement breaking out in the stands as well as among some in his dressing room, Saints fell 2-0 down to Leeds on the hour when Rodrigo nodded in his second of the afternoon.

Having kicked off with one win in their previous 13 league games, the inevitable ‘sacked in the morning’ chants followed.

But Hasenhuttl then made the first of two changes that turned the game back Southampton’s way before his third sub also made the game-saving contribution.

Former Rangers midfielder Aribo scored 11 minutes after coming off the bench to provide the platform for Southampton’s fightback.

Then fellow sub and debutant Sekou Mara, with a brilliant bit of skill and inch-perfect pass, teed up unlikely hero Kyle Walker-Peters to make it 2-2.

While Walker-Peters headed for the crowd, Hasenhuttl was on the pitch celebrating in front of his dugout. Delighted? Yes. Relieved? No doubt. Feeling a bit more comfortable? Finally.

Afterwards, the Saints boss praised his side’s response, saying: ‘Sorry that we destroyed a few headlines, because they were maybe written at that moment. ‘But the team gave the answer.

‘We had a tough week because of some circumstances but we showed a good reaction — and it’s nothing less than I expected from this fantastic group.’

It was not the win he could have done with but certainly a comeback to cling to and some real fight shown by his team.