Jarrod Bowen broke the deadlock early in the second half with a fine run and curled finish.

The Saints had their opportunities during the match, with Tyler Dibling squandering a great chance after 80 minutes as he blazed a shot over the bar from close range.

The Premier League's bottom side was not to be denied however, as Ugochukwu slammed a brilliant volley into the net via the post to earn Southampton just its second point in nine games.

Southampton remains bottom of the table on 11 points, while West Ham moved up to 16th place, one point above Wolverhampton Wanderers having played a game more.

West Ham head coach Graham Potter admitted Southampton w fully deserving of the point it earned and criticised his side's poor display.

"I'm really disappointed," Potter said.

"Obviously, conceding late again is another kick, but if we're honest, I think Southampton deserved their equaliser as our performance wasn't up to level.

"We're frustrated, is the honest truth. We thought we took a step forward against Liverpool, but today it wasn't good enough."

The Hammers are now without a win in their past six league games, their worst winless streak since a similar run at the beginning of 2024.

"At the moment we're suffering. It's a season where it's been tough, tough for everybody, so we have to keep going through this difficult patch, get through to the summer and reassess everything and see how we can improve," Potter added.

Interim Saints manager Simon Rusk was delighted with his side after a battling performance on the road.

"I'm always a little bit apprehensive about having a strong feeling on the game after it without watching it back and feeling it out. But my feeling is at the minute it was the very least we deserved," he said.

Rusk saved particular praise for Ugochukwu's performance.

"He's been really, really good. Second half of the season, he's found a bit of momentum and rhythm, the manager said.

"I think sometimes we're in danger of forgetting how young some of our players are and the Premier League minutes that they're getting under their belt."