Jack Stephens hands Southampton a lifeline, but then Saints do a Saints | OneFootball

Southampton were so close to picking up that highly anticipated point they needed against Fulham, which would have made them at least a better team than Derby County. However, the Saints went on to concede not once (dropping two points), but twice (dropping all three points).

So, after Jack Stephens (of all people) opened the scoring for Southampton, it was only a case of holding on, and the Saints did for most of the match. In fact, it wasn't until Emile Smith Rowe scored in the last twenty minutes of the game that Southampton held their heads high.

Even after Smith Rowe scored the equalising goal for Fulham, the Saints would have still picked up the point they needed. In stoppage time, though, Ryan Sessegnon prevented the home support from cheering about what they were anticipating.

Now, Southampton remains level on points with that Derby County team, the team that currently holds the record of being THE worst team in Premier League history. If the Saints fail to pick up at least one more point between now and the end of the campaign, then they will join the Rams as the joint worst team in English top-flight history.

The Saints have given their fans rare reason to smile this season. In fact, relegation was confirmed faster than anticipated, so now, the remainder of the season is purely exhibition. This could have been avoided if the Southampton players stepped up to the mark at the beginning of this campaign.

But, even if it was only a point, the Saints would have breathed a nice breath of fresh air if they didn't let their heads drop late into that match.

Jack Stephens almost made Southampton fans eat their words

One of those players who received tough love from the Saints support this season is Jack Stephens, and rightly so. The captain was only responsible for wearing the armband, since he didn't lead his teammates by example or authority.

Of all people to score the opening goal, nobody would have expected it to be Jack Stephens. The defender opened the scoring for the Saints, and at the time, it seemed enough to secure even one point for Southampton. Then, we thankfully wouldn't have been etched into the history books.

However, this point was wiped away from the Saints in stoppage time. It was a second half collapse which is unfortunately telling of Southampton's season up until this point.

We've been overly critical of Jack Stephens this season, even saying that his captaincy should be revoked and given to another player after his lack of discipline. However, we'd have taken ANY hero to step up with a goal to grant us that one necessary point.