Joe Rothwell’s spectacular double saw Southampton recover from 2-0 down to beat Huddersfield 5-3 in a Sky Bet Championship thriller at St Mary’s.
Saints were seeing their record 24-game unbeaten run dissolve in front of their eyes when goals from Sorba Thomas and David Kasumu left relegation-battling Huddersfield in charge at the break.
Rothewell’s brilliant brace levelled things up soon after half-time but Town reclaimed the lead in the 65th minute through Alex Matos.
However, a Tom Lees own goal in the 80th minute saw parity restored and Saints would go on to claim the points thanks to late strikes Sekou Mara and Samuel Edozie, ensuring they remain second in the table.
Jon Worthington’s spell as caretaker manager of Huddersfield had started with a 4-0 victory over fellow strugglers Sheffield Wednesday and the confidence from that victory was clear.
A variety of early half-chances came and went but Flynn Downes’ exit in the 32nd minute while clutching his groin allowed the Terriers to pounce, as Saints were forced to rejig their midfield.
Jack Rudoni pulled back the ball from the left to an unmarked Thomas who cleverly bounced his low finish over Ryan Manning’s leg to put the visitors 1-0 up in the 36th minute.
It was the first time Southampton had been behind at home in almost 22 hours and only the second goal they had conceded at St Mary’s in three months.
Nine minutes later they had conceded a second. This time Thomas turned provider with a run and cross from the right which wing-back Kasumu crashed into the roof of the net.
Kasumu had played under Southampton boss Russell Martin at MK Dons and this was his first Huddersfield goal on his 50th appearance.
The home side’s performance, tied in with an unhappiness towards referee David Webb, saw loud boos accompany the half-time whistle.
But four minutes after the re-start, Saints got themselves back into the game in style when Rothwell smashed an unstoppable volley into the top corner after Lee Nicholls had punched Stuart Armstrong’s corner to the edge of the box.
It was Rothwell’s first goal since arriving on loan from Bournemouth last month. He only had to wait another 65 seconds for his second.
This time his former Cherries team-mate, and fellow substitute, David Brooks found his run into the box with a clever reverse pass before Rothwell finished with aplomb over Nicholls.
The Saints fans were deafening in their celebrations and were ready to take the roof off when Adam Armstrong was sent clean through but elected to attempt a chip that was claimed by a grateful Nicholls.
Huddersfield then found a second wind and they capitalised when Matos stepped onto his right foot and fired the visitors back in front, his shot deflecting up off Will Smallbone and over the despairing Gavin Bazunu.
But Saints continued their club record unbeaten run in style with two goals in the space of four minutes to go 4-3 ahead.
They levelled things when Rothwell’s low ball from the left was turned into his own net by Lees before Mara put the hosts in front for the first time after Brooks had cut back to him.
Another substitute, Edozie, capped things off in stoppage time after Mara had held off three defenders to tee him up as Saints kept their noses just ahead of Leeds.
Hull City 3-3 Ipswich Town: Tigers fight back three times to deny Tractor Boys
Ipswich Town missed the chance to move into an automatic promotion spot as play-off-chasing Hull City came from behind three times in a thrilling 3-3 Championship draw at The MKM Stadium.
Ipswich knew a victory would take them second after Leeds United were surprisingly beaten 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers on Friday, and they led on three separate occasions, George Hirst opening the scoring before Omari Hutchinson produced two brilliant strikes from the edge of the area.
However, buoyed by slip-ups from rivals Norwich City and West Brom earlier on Saturday, Hull dug deep to fight back on each occasion, Ozan Tufan and Liam Delap scoring their first two equalisers.
With Liam Rosenior's men 3-2 down with just four minutes to play, substitute Noah Ohio blasted his shot in off the crossbar to punish an error from Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.
The result keeps Ipswich behind second-placed Leeds on goal difference, though the Tractor Boys have a game in hand to come at Coventry City on Tuesday.
Hull, meanwhile, are two points adrift of the top six, with Norwich's goal difference advantage meaning their top-six spot is all but assured. The Tigers will, however, leapfrog West Brom if they beat Plymouth Argyle on the final day and Albion lose to Preston North End.
Data Debrief: Hutchinson's best not enough
Hutchinson was a man who deserved to be on the winning side on Saturday, giving Ryan Allsop no chance with two near-identical left-footed strikes from the right corner of the penalty area.
His goals came from an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.6, and he led all players on the pitch for shots (eight) and passes in the final third (21), also laying on three chances for his team-mates.
Al-Khaleej 0-1 Al-Nassr: Ronaldo misfires on return as Laporte nets winner
Cristiano Ronaldo returned from suspension but failed to find the net as Al-Nassr secured a 1-0 win over Al-Khaleej on Saturday, with Aymeric Laporte coming up with the decisive goal.
Ronaldo was in action for the first time since being sent off for an elbow in a 2-1 Saudi Super Cup loss to Al-Hilal earlier this month, with his initial two-match ban being reduced to one on appeal.
He missed three good chances as Al-Nassr threatened to fall further behind runaway Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, but former Manchester City defender Laporte spared his blushes by nodding Marcelo Brozovic's deep free-kick into the bottom-left corner with 68 minutes gone.
Al-Nassr remain nine points adrift of Al-Hilal at the summit in spite of their win, with Jorge Jesus' team unbeaten through 28 games this season as they close in on a record-extending 18th title.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo misfires on return
Ronaldo was presented with the Saudi Pro League's Player of the Month award for March ahead of kick-off, having scored four goals in three league appearances last month.
However, his sights were off on Saturday as he failed to net despite three of the visitors' four big chances, as defined by Opta, falling his way. He led all players on the pitch for expected goals (1.27 xG), shots (five), shots on target (three) and touches in the area (nine) without reward.
Huddersfield all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off spots decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation from the Championship all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Birmingham City on Saturday.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
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