Southampton 3 West Brom 2: Saints just cling on as wretched first half does for Baggies

Three first-half goals at St Mary's - two coming from last season's Hawthorns loan failure Adam Armstrong - looked to have put the contest to bed by half-time as Albion fell to a seventh straight away defeat in a rollercoaster 3-2 contest.

Mason's side added respectability to the scoreline and occasion in the second period through Karlan Grant's first of the season and Nat Phillips' header as the defender tried to atone for an early error.

In-form Southampton were on the ropes after cruising in the first half on the south coast but almost transpired to throw a 3-0 lead away as Albion scored three and denied another handful of openings.

The feeling was, to some extent, Southampton had come off the gas either side of half-time but grew complacent and were almost punished at the death as Mason's visitors recovered and responded but, unlike Swansea recently, could not take any points.

They would have claimed a share of the spoils had Villa loanee Samuel Iling-Junior not side-footed a sitter wide in front of the away end in the 94th minute.

But a second-half improvement does not undo the embarrassing and hapless first-half display from a side looking to respond from a desperate away display at QPR on Saturday.

The sequence of away defeats is Albion's worst since the Premier League season of 2008/09 and worst in the third tier in 30 years and Mason is set to come under increased scrutiny as his side were pulled apart in a hapless first 45.

Former Baggies academy starlet Tom Fellows, who was sold from The Hawthorns for St Mary's for £10million after the season had started, got the ball rolling with an early assist for Leo Scienza to beat Joe Wildsmith who started again.

A terrible error from the returning defender Phillips gifted Armstrong the chance for 2-0 five minutes later and the home captain and marksman made it three 10 minutes before the break, set up by ex-Baggie junior Finn Azaz.

Saints felt a million miles clear of insipid Albion, but Mason's side found a gear after the break and scored twice and had enough chances to earn an unlikely point.

With another of the Championship's in-form big-hitters ahead on Friday night, Sheffield United at The Hawthorns, owners Bilkul will be on red alert when considering the head coach's future after a run of just two wins in 10 coupled with the tragic away form.

Mason opted to stick with his controversial call to name Wildsmith in goal with Josh Griffiths once again benched.

The head coach opted for four changes in another shaken-up side. Phillips returned from suspension and in came Ousmane Diakite, Iling-Junior and Isaac Price in a changed back three formation with wing-backs, similar to that used in the late defeat at Charlton last month.

Regardless of any change - Albion's night felt over before it had begun.

Any fading hope of bringing any points back to the Black Country - and they were faint at best - were over after barely 10 minutes.

It only added insult to injury it was the familiar figure of TomFellows who sliced the Baggies apart.

There should have been little danger as the ball found Fellows 10 yards into his own half. One of Albion's three centre-backs Chris Mepham had inexplicably tracked Fellows into the position and was spun on a sixpence.

Fellows, playing at right wing-back, then had the whole central area of the Albion half to surge into. He did so with glee and slipped a perfectly-timed pass to the right of the penalty area for Scienza, who finished with ease across Wildsmith.

Callum Styles lashed over the crossbar from a tight angle but before five minutes after shipping the opener the deficit was two.

And this one was much worse.

Mepham played a pass back to his colleague Phillips as Albion's deepest man. The latter, who appeared shot of confidence on his return, could not bring the ball under his spell and stumbled.

On him in a flash was Armstrong and the failed Baggies loanee dispatched a cool finish.

Shocking Albion could only look on shell-shocked as all hope disappeared.

There was nothing to cheer from an away end full of gluttons for punishment. Grant had one or two bright situations and crosses that were not attacked by forward team-mates.

The visitors and keeper Wildsmith in particular were fortunate to survive a third as the badly struggling keeper's pass to Iling-Junior was intercepted. The Saints squared but Caspar Jander lifted just off target.

The fortune lasted barely minutes as Soton made it three 10 minutes before the break.

Former Baggies youngster Azaz was picked out in so much space in midfield and he turned and slipped a fine pass through to Armstrong who need barely three touches to gather himself and clip in a lovely finish. It was the kind of composure missing from his six months at The Hawthorns.

Mason brought captain Alex Mowatt off five minutes before the break for Jayson Molumby. The former trudged off head bowed and appeared in discomfort.

The Saints lifted their foot off the gas as they played keepball before half-time as Mason's men chased shadows.

The same continued after the interval with just a little professional pride on the line for the visitors - though much of that had been eaten up in an insipid first half.

Grant was most likely again as his cross was flicked wide by Price.

Grant underlined his brightest-of-a-bad-bunch status with a fine left-footed strike across Gavin Bazunu and in just after the hour for his first goal of the season.

A few nerves spread around the home stands and edginess grew as Price sent a powerful header straight at Bazunu from Iling-Junior's cross seconds later. Either side of the keeper and he was beaten.

That chance jolted Saints who had a go back to show they could click through the gears at ease.

But the hosts somehow only just escaped.

Bazunu somehow made a trio of saves from consecutive corners to deny Bielik, Phillips and Molumby before in the fourth minute of six added Iling-Junior somehow fired wide from Mikey Johnston's cross.

With that went Albion hopes.

Southampton (3-4-2-1): Bazunu; Wood, Harwood-Bellis, Quarshie; Fellows (Fraser, 63), Downes, Jander (Romeu, 87), Manning; Scienza (Archer, 63), Azaz (Aribo, 87); Armstrong (Robinson, 75). 

Subs not used: McCarthy, Stephens, Edwards, Welington. 

Albion (3-4-3): Wildsmith; Bielik, Phillips, Mepham; Iling-Junior, Mowatt (c) (Molumby, 39), Diakite (Johnston, 76), Styles; Grant, Price (Dike, 89), Heggebo.

Subs not used: Griffiths, Campbell, Gilchrist, Bany, Bostock, Maja.

Attendance: 26,586

Referee: Sam Allison