Last night was one of those nights Saints fans will never forget. Southampton travelled to Leicester City and were 3-0 down within half-an-hour at the King Power Stadium. At half‑time, the score was still the same, as it was again after 60 minutes. The Saints looked beaten and broken.
Then something incredible happened. First, Saints clawed their way back into things with a 61st-minute header from substitute Ross Stewart. Then, In the final quarter of an hour, Leicester crumbled.
Jack Stephens and Ryan Manning both scored to level the scores at 3-3 with just a few minutes left of the ninety. Then, deep into stoppage time, Saints claimed a winner from Shea Charles, completing one of the most remarkable turnarounds in club history.
Series of fortunate events 🤯 pic.twitter.com/o17Z7JTuxV
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) February 11, 2026
Despite being involved in some memorable high-scoring matches, Southampton have never recorded a win after being 3-0 down at half-time. They are also one of the very few teams to have had three different substitutes score in a match.
The nightmare at Prenton Park
Twenty‑five years ago, Southampton felt the pain of that kind of scoreline in a very different way. In February 2001, Saints travelled to Tranmere Rovers in the last 16 of the FA Cup. Having drawn at home 0-0, Glen Hoddle's side found themselves making the long trek up to Merseyside with a place in the quarter finals up for grabs.
Goals from Hassan Kachloul, Jo Tessem, and Dean Richards gave the South Coast side a 3-0 lead at half-time. The tie was practically over, and the Saints were cruising. Hoddle rested Marian Pahars and Preston boss, John Aldridge, responded with a couple of significant changes of his own.
Former Saint, Paul Rideout, started the comeback, diverting the ball past Paul Jones as it came through a crowd of players towards him. Then Rideout made it 3-2 with a free header in the centre of the six-yard box. When Rideout scored the third, Martin Tyler and Andy Gray, commentating on Sky Sports, could barely contain themselves.
Substitute Andy Barlow, who guaranteed the fairy-tale ending with the winner late on. This was a comeback that has gone down in FA Cup folklore as one of the competition’s greatest ever. For Saints fans, it was a nightmare that has never gone away.
Redemption at the King Power Stadium
Last night felt like redemption. Southampton were dead and buried after Leicester’s trio of first‑half goals. Divine Mukasa, Patson Daka and Abdul Fatawu had put City well in control and Saints looked out of the contest.
But Tonda Eckert’s side refused to lay down. Ross Stewart got Saints on the board, then captain Jack Stephens pulled one back, and Ryan Manning made it 3–3. Five minutes into added time, Shea Charles curled home the winner to complete an astounding 4–3 comeback that will live long in the memory.
That scoreline now feels like poetic justice. Where once Saints were the architects of their own undoing, they have now shown real character to overturn a three‑goal deficit against a similarly fragile team. The ghosts of that Tranmere collapse have been laid to rest because this was a night of courage, belief and sheer determination.
Fans will talk about this Leicester win for years. It wasn’t just another three points. It was redemption for the pain of February 2001, a cleansing moment that replaced a nightmare with one of the most incredible results in the club’s recent history.
History has a way of coming full circle. Last night at the King Power, Saints wrote a new chapter. A 9-0 home win on Saturday in the FA Cup would do just nicely - thank you!