Artur Boruc saves Southampton's skin as Norwich pay the penalty - The Guardian

The Southampton goalkeeper, Artur Boruc, pulled off a remarkable save from Grant Holt's last-minute penalty to secure a draw in a deceptively thrilling encounter.

Norwich might have considered themselves lucky not to be trailing, such was Southampton's forward thrust in treacherous conditions that veered between rain, sleet and snow, but then Holt, who had endured a miserable 90 minutes in attack for Norwich, was felled near the edge of the area, and the referee, Mark Clattenburg, demurred on awarding a free-kick before pointing to the spot. Holt's penalty was firmly hit but Boruc was more than equal to it.

If Chris Hughton's decision to start the fast and wild striker Kei Kamara alongside Grant Holt was not a major surprise, it was certainly a bold one, with one of his most reliable creative players, Wes Hoolahan, starting on the bench.

Southampton were hardly shrinking violets, with Mauricio Pochettino selecting what could be construed as a four-man forward line. Adam Lallana, drifting infield from the right flank, conjured the game's first chance, thumping a dipping shot from the edge of the area which was well saved by Mark Bunn.

The Norwich goalkeeper, still deputising for the injured John Ruddy, was then tested to his limit when Gaston Ramírez sprung Norwich's offside trap. The Uruguayan attempted to chip home from 18 yards out and Bunn leapt well to tip the ball to safety.

Southampton's first-half ascendancy was punctuated by Norwich's first shot on goal, 33 minutes in, with Robert Snodgrass's dipping free-kick saved by Artur Boruc, but the visitors answered back immediately, when the splendid 17-year-old left back Luke Shaw tested Bunn again from close range.

Hughton appeared fretful, and the manager was dealt a further inconvenience when Anthony Pilkington pinged a hamstring on his first start since recovering from a similar injury suffered last month.

Hoolahan's introduction gave Norwich a greater inclination to attack, however, and Kamara and Holt both went close to connecting to fizzing deliveries across the face of Boruc's goal.

Saints continued to press on after the break, with Jay Rodriguez wriggling into the box off the left wing, and when the England under-21 striker's shot was blocked, Ramírez's footing faltered and he ballooned the rebound over the bar. At the other end Holt suffered a similar failing when well placed and Snodgrass's follow-up was loopy and poorly directed.

Then, with 15 minutes remaining, Snodgrass fluffed the easiest chance of all, shimmying through the Southampton defence and dashing past Boruc, but with an open goal to aim at, delayed his shot and José Fonte denied the Scot with the timeliest of interventions.