Nathan Jones won his first Premier League game in charge of Southampton as the Saints came from behind to beat Everton 2-1 at an infuriated Goodison Park.
In front of an empty directors' box, Amadou Onana headed home the game's opening goal before a double from James Ward-Prowse turned the contest on its head, and boos loudly rang out at the final whistle from the home faithful.
Controversy reared its ugly head before kickoff as Everton's directors were advised not to attend the game out of concerns for their own safety, and a portion of fans made their displeasure known before the first ball was kicked.
There was little to write home about in the opening exchanges, which Southampton largely dominated, but the visitors would be hit with a sucker punch in the 39th minute as Everton took the lead against the run of play.
Demarai Gray whipped in a corner from the right, and Onana peeled into space before finding the bottom corner with a well-taken header, giving Goodison Park a much-needed lift.
Jordan Pickford was called into action to beat Ward-Prowse's effort onto the post just before the half-time whistle blew, preserving Everton's first-half lead in eye-catching fashion.
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An influx of goals arrived across the country as second halves kicked off, and it was no different at Goodison, as high-spirited home fans cut glum figures upon returning to their seats to see that the Saints had levelled.
Just 47 seconds into the second half, Che Adams headed down a long pass from Kyle Walker-Peters into the path of captain Ward-Prowse, who gave Ben Godfrey the slip before coolly slotting home into the bottom corner for his fourth league goal of the season.
Ward-Prowse's equaliser hardly dented the Toffees' spirit, as Dominic Calvert-Lewin's deflected effort bounced off the crossbar with 55 minutes gone, but the Saints soon began to turn the screw and sent on Carlos Alcaraz for his Premier League debut during their push for a winner.
That aforementioned winner would arrive from the most likely source for Southampton in the 78th minute. Anthony Gordon gave away a free kick in a dangerous area, and dead-ball specialist Ward-Prowse did the rest with a sensational strike.
Frank Lampard's face said it all at the final whistle, with Everton fans jeering at full volume as their side drop to 19th in the table, while Southampton remain bottom but are now level on points with their Merseyside counterparts.
Lampard's crop have a week to recuperate before travelling to West Ham United next weekend, while the Saints host Aston Villa on January 21.
Ben Knapton
