Sweet for Swede

Michael Svensson believes his last-gasp leveller was fair reward for Saints' battling spirit. Gordon Strachan's men looked dead and buried at 2-0 down against Fulham with 10 minutes remaining at Loftus Road. James Beattie's header gave them a glimmer of hope and Svensson popped up with a dramatic equaliser almost three minutes into stoppage time. It was the Swede's first Barclaycard Premiershop goal and all the more memorable for the manner as well as the timing.

Svensson headed home the rebound from a shot against the bar by goalkeeper Antti Niemi who had come up for a corner. He laughed: "I don't know why he did that. He does not do it in training so I was surprised to see him there.

"But he showed great control. He did not panic and just blast the ball but directed it well and I had a simple job to knock it in.

"It was a great moment because it was so late in the game and we deserved the draw for the way we kept going.

"It was nice for me because of the own goal earlier although there was not much I could do about it.

"I was running back full speed and if I had done nothing then Steve Marlet was behind me ready to put it in.

"I had to try to divert it past the post but it went just the wrong side. But that made my first Premiership goal all the more special.

"We did not play our best but there is tremendous spirit in the team and we hate to lose and it was a great feeling at the end."