Southampton left it late as they came from behind to earn a point against Carlisle, in a game which ultimately was theirs for the taking.

Radhi Jaidi rescued a point deep into injury time for Alan Pardew's men, after Scott Dobie had given Carlisle a fortuitous lead 20 minutes from the end.

Carlisle: Pidgeley, Raven, Harte, Livesey, Keogh, Taiwo, Robson, Anyinsah, Hurst, Thirlwell, Offiong (Dobie 61). Subs: Collin, Horwood, Murphy, Bridge-Wilkinson, Kavanagh, Rothery.

Saints: Davis, James, Trotman, Jaidi, Harding, Mellis (Holmes 75), Hammond, Schneiderlin, Mills (N'Diaye 63), Lallana, Lambert. Subs: Bialkowski, Perry, Wotton, Saganowski, Paterson.

Referee: Mr. G. Salisbury

Attendance: 7,000

Saints arrived in Carlisle to find Brunton Park submerged in a party atmosphere. With the Cumbrians celebrating 100 years of football at the ground all the stops had been pulled out, with fans being given flags, trumpets and inflatables in an attempt to give their team the boost that would prevent Saints from ruining the day.

As ever, Saints had made their own thorough preparations for the arduous trip north. With Bristol Rovers visiting St Mary's on Tuesday, anything other than traveling by plane would inevitably hamper Alan Pardew's men in their preparation for the visit of the high-flying Pirates.

Pardew made two changes to the team that beat Yeovil, Wayne Thomas did not travel through injury and Marek Saganowski dropped to the bench. Lloyd James took up the right-back position he filled so ably last season, with Jacob Mellis being recalled to the right side of midfield. Joseph Mills occupied the opposite flank as Adam Lallana moved up front to partner Rickie Lambert.

Saints flew out of the traps and won a free kick within a minute of the start as Jacob Mellis was fouled on the right touchline. Joseph Mills swung in the free-kick but a dangerous looking ball was picked out of the air by former Chelsea 'keeper Lenny Pidgeley who went on to prove Saints nemesis throughout the afternoon.

The visitors' first effort on target followed, before another free kick was sent up the other end. This time Neal Trotman up from the back, got his head to the ball with a powerful attempt, however, Pidgeley dealt with it comfortably.

Carlisle were looking to benefit on the break as Saints sent men forward looking for an opener, Joe Anyinsah's dangerous looking cross flew across Kelvin Davis' goal, eventually going out for a goal kick as Dan Harding just managed to put off Hurst at the back post.

Saints won a corner on 13 minutes after good work between Lallana, Mellis and Lambert down the right. Mills swung the corner in to the back post and again Trotman came close, only to be denied by the Cumbrians 'keeper, snatching the ball at the top of the tall defender's head.

A beautifully weighted ball by Mellis found its way through to Lallana on 16 minutes, who was hauled down by former Bristol City defender Richard Keogh. Rickie Lambert went close direct from the free kick 25 yards out however, his powerful effort flew narrowly over the bar.

Lallana was looking increasingly dangerous for Saints, revelling in his new role up front alongside Lambert which allowed him to float around the final third with freedom, bringing the rest of the team into play and creating plenty of attacking chances. His quick feet in the box after Lambert's flick on had everyone thinking he would score, but the Carlisle defense forced him wide and his shot flew just the wrong side of the post on 25 minutes.

Saints were looking like it was only a matter of time before they took advantage of one of a number of their dangerous set pieces. Mills' corner on the half hour was swung in low to the front post where Lallana flicked it on. Dean Hammond's header six yards out looked to have been deflected wide by Pidgeley, yet to the bemusement of Saints fans, referee Mr Sainsbury awarded a goal kick.

Kelvin Davis was called into action for the first time minutes later. This time it was a Carlisle corner that caused problems, the ball was launched back into the box after initially being cleared, flying over everyone and Davis had to be on top form to pick the ball out of the top corner as it looked as if the hosts would take the lead against the run of play.

If anything this appeared to spur Saints on even further, as chance after chance fell to Pardew's men. Another opportunity arrived Trotman's way as the ball fell to him in the box, the Preston loanee this time hitting the post amongst a goalmouth scramble, before Schneiderlin's clever feet five minutes before half time found Mills through one on one with the keeper. However, the young winger appeared to be stretching as he made contact and former Leeds defender Ian Harte got back well to clear with Pidgeley beaten.

In the end, Saints were lucky to survive the first half in tact. As the fourth official indicated one minute of additional time, a deep ball into the box fell to Harte, and his header had looked to have given Carlisle an unfair lead at the interval. However, Dan Harding was on hand to clear off the line and despite claims from the home bench that the ball had crossed the line, Saints hung on to make it into the break with the match somehow still goalless.

Half Time: Carlisle 0-0 Saints

The second half started in much the same style as the majority of the first had been played. Within two minutes Dan Harding was forced to improvise at the back post to get the ball safely into the arms of Kelvin Davis, before Saints broke, but Rickie Lambert's effort forced a corner which came to nothing.

Adam Lallana was continuing his hard work pulling all the strings in Saints' attacks, as he popped up all over the final third, linking up well in particular with Morgan Schneiderlin and Jacob Mellis as Saints looked to get off the mark.

Pardew made his first change of the game shortly after Scott Dobie had replaced Richard Offiong for the hosts. Senegalese international Papa Waigo replaced Joseph Mills, with Lallana moving to the left wing and Waigo slotting alongside Lambert up front. Waigo's presence in the Carlisle box led the home defense conceding yet another corner, and when the ball was eventually delivered into the box Lambert came close with a header that dropped just over the bar on 65 minutes.
Saints should have taken the lead just two minutes later. Clever work by Lambert in a central position saw him feed Mellis who broke through on the right of the box, however, the Chelsea loanee's shot rippled the side netting when he should have done better.

Saints ultimately paid the price for their lack of a cutting edge up front as Carlisle took the lead just before the 70 minute mark. Scott Dobie, who had been on the pitch for less than 10 minutes was left with an easy finish and gave Carlisle the advantage from 6 yards. As the ball ricocheted around in the Saints box, Dan Harding made a last ditch tackle and thought he had cleared the danger, but the ball was played back into the area and took two more deflections, leaving Davis wrong-footed, allowing Dobie to fire into an empty net.

Pardew again shuffled his pack on 75 minutes now in the search of an equaliser in a game where his side had been largely on top. Winger Lee Holmes made his first appearance of the season as he replaced Jacob Mellis. Lallana was sent over to the right wing, leaving the former Derby man to take up his natural position on the left.

With twelve minutes remaining, a lovely piece of footwork from Lallana down the right led to a cross falling to Lambert, but again his header was brilliantly tipped wide for a corner by Pidgeley as Saints fans began to get the feeling that this may not be their day.

That feeling was running through the minds of the 7,000 in Brunton Park as the fourth official indicated four minutes additional time. Thankfully though, it had never entered the minds of Saints' players. They continued to battle on, and with Neal Trotman thrown forward to create havoc in the closing minutes, they finally got the goal their pressure deserved.

Adam Lallana, the thorn in Carlisle's side all afternoon, drew another foul from a tired home defense out on the left wing, 12 yards from the touchline. Schneiderlin's ball seemed to hang in the air for an eternity, before Radhi Jaidi powered home a header to send Saints' fans into raptures.

The final whistle came just seconds later, and both the Carlisle bench and fans behind the dugouts complained in vain to the referee as he left the field. Saints cared not, as they made their way over to their travelling fans, thanking them for their immense support all afternoon by throwing their shirts into the crowd. The 921 strong support having something extra to cheer about after their mammoth journey.

Saints left Brunton Park for Newcastle Airport on the back of a sixth game unbeaten, and with the boost of that extra time equaliser, they will have high hopes of getting three points against Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night.

Full Time: Carlisle 1-1 Saints