Ralph Hasenhuttl shook his fists after his Southampton side fought back here and eased some of the pressure on him early in the season.
Things looked particularly bleak for the home side’s head coach when Rodrigo’s close-range double strike early in the second half gave Leeds United a 2-0 lead.
One of Hasenhüttl’s submarines Joe Aribo – the Nigerian midfielder signed with Rangers in the summer – brought them back into the game, however, and Kyle Walker-Peters went on to score a draw with his equalizing goal in the 81st minute.
Southampton had won just once out of 15 in all competitions before this match – and lost five in a row – so a defeat would have been a major blow as observers watch for signs of losing the dressing room.
Hasenhuttl was backed by Southampton – owned by Serbian billionaire Dragan Solak – with recruits in the transfer market over the summer including Romeo Lavia and Gavin Bazunu, young players from Manchester City, who both played here.
This draw still wasn’t the result they would have ideally wanted against a side tipped to struggle this season, but it could have been worse if the late rally hadn’t happened.
Jesse Marsch’s men lost their way late in this battle between two former RB Leipzig head coaches, who had initially reacted well to captain Patrick Bamford’s loss to injury in the 28th minute. Bamford’s injury nightmare continued – after his problems last season – when he suffered a groin problem.
Rodrigo appeared to operate further forward early in the second period, scoring two goals from close range, taking in the opener before heading in a second. Those goals followed his opening strike in the 2-1 win against Wolves.
There were also some encouraging signs for Leeds in the first half. In the heat of more than 30 degrees, the visitors showed their intention early on with their pressure on the attack, and Bamford had blocked a shot from close range.
The Yorkshire club had to survive a scare when Diego Llorente knocked down Stuart Armstrong on offense, leading to a Var rating for a possible red card – but the Spanish defender got the ball and escaped punishment.
Better opportunities began to fall for Hasenhüttl’s men, including Armstrong who narrowly bundled the ball wide.
Despite Bamford’s departure, the Yorkshire club also threatened halftime, most notably when a misplaced header from Rasmus Kristensen – a sitter – was thwarted by goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.