Lincoln City's record signing Mikkel Ladefoged came off the bench to rescue a point against Southampton with his first goal for the Imps.

The Danish striker met a Reeco Hackett cross at the back post to deny Southampton their first win away from home in the Championship this season.

Brazilian Welington had put Saints ahead in stunning fashion in the first half, the defender's thumping shot from 30 yards flying past keeper George Wickens as he dived at full stretch.

Leo Scienza was denied a second for Saints after the break, as the winger bent a shot off the far post before the ball bounced across the face of goal and off the opposite upright.

Lincoln squandered a number of chances to pull a goal back before substitute Ladefoged eventually delivered with a dramatic first goal in English football since arriving for a reported fee of more than £4m from Vasteras SK six days earlier.

Lincoln bombarded the Saints from the get-go as they searched for their first win at home in the second tier since 1961.

A well-worked training-ground move from kick-off, in which the ball was sent high and long for Saints to try deal with, presented Andrei Coubis with an opportunity for a shot that was blocked before Rob Street threatened at the back post seconds later.

Freddie Draper went on to drag an effort wide soon after, while Saints goalkeeper Daniel Peretz did well to keep a low shot from Street from finding the bottom corner.

Ben House went on two squander two huge chance for the hosts after the half hour mark as the home pressure continued, first failing to connect with a cut-back pass from close range before ballooning a header over the bar.

Southampton's first-half chances were limited to a wayward Cyle Larin header and a Scienza shot that curled just wide before Welington broke the deadlock with an outrageous strike from distance.

Saints were quick to push for a second after the interval with Kuryu Matsuki off target with an early shot, while Scienza was unfortunate to be denied with his effort that hit both uprights.

Lincoln did not create the glut of chances they did in the first half, but Coubis should have done better with a close-range half-volley and Chiedozie Ogbene wastefully fired directly at Peretz before Ladefoged earned the hosts a share of the points with his first goal for the club in just his second appearance.

Lincoln City head coach Tom Shaw told BBC Radio Lincolnshire:

"I thought there was fight in the group and some of the new players showed the spirit that we know the players from last year have got, so that was incredibly encouraging.

"I feel a little bit frustrated that we have not taken more than a point to be honest.

"The feel of it and the stats and the data back that up – we were good value for the three points.

"But it's important for all of us, the coaches, players, fans and everyone, that we keep a bit of context. We played Southampton here, who were set to go to the Premier League last year. So for our boys to make it as uncomfortable as they did in quite a few spells of that game, I'm very proud."

Southampton boss Tonda Eckert told BBC Radio Solent:

"It is a game that I would have expected here, you have a lot of long balls you have to deal with.

"We could have bought the ball down a bit quicker, especially in the first half, and then we had some good spells and went 1-0 up.

"And when you are 1-0 in a game like today, you know there will be chances that come up in the second half and we had more than enough to make it 2-0. And if you don't, then it's a one-goal game and we need to be better to grind out the game towards the end.

"And that's the frustrating part about today, because these games you need to win 1-0 and bring them home."