It was a goal crafted by two generations of the Southampton academy. Tyler Dibling collected a beautifully disguised through-ball from Adam Lallana , a player 18 years his senior, took Ipswich Town defender Jacob Greaves out of the game with his first touch and finished coolly. A first Premier League goal for the attacking midfielder just five minutes into his second top-flight start.
Aged 18 years and 217 days, he became the club’s fourth youngest Premier League scorer, behind Michael Obafemi, Dexter Blackstock and Sam Gallagher . Advertisement It was a performance characterised by composure, creativity and hard work from Dibling, a week on from his electric first-half display against Manchester United on his full Premier League debut in which he turned United left-back Diogo Dalot inside out. It would have been the winning goal only for Sam Morsy ’s deflected late strike to make it 1-1 and keep both teams winless.
Socks so low they would make even Jack Grealish blush, there is a ripple of excitement around St Mary’s when Dibling collects the ball in the opposition half, the crowd aware of what he is capable of creating. GO DEEPER The art of the football sock Deployed on the right wing, he provided the stunning first-half through ball from which Cameron Archer almost doubled Southampton ’s advantage, only for the post to save the visitors. In the second half it was the quick feet to wriggle away from the challenges of Leif Davis and Jack Clarke , followed by the pass in behind that narrowly evaded team-mate Ross Stewart .
Southampton head coach Russell Martin labelled Dibling’s courage and freedom as “the most beautiful thing” about his playing style. “He can do things that not many players I’ve seen can do,” said Martin. “I love working with him.
I love watching him play. I’d pay a lot of money to watch him play football — fortunately I’m the guy that gets to work with him and try and develop him.” Ipswich head coach Kieran McKenna, a man with his own reputation for developing youngsters, called Dibling a “super young player”.
Beyond creativity, there was game intelligence and graft too. A smart shoulder drop to dip past Jens Cajuste and win a foul to ease the pressure on his side shortly after he had opened the scoring, an important tackle to dispossess marauding Ipswich left-back Davis and halt a counter-attack from the visitors on the stroke of half time. Advertisement “He’s taking everything on board,” Martin said.
“He needs to continue doing that whilst maintaining his courage and willingness to try things on the pitch. The approach to whoever he’s playing against doesn’t faze him.” Martin has stressed the importance of not rushing Dibling as he adjusts to the intensity and load management of playing regular top-flight football.
The Ipswich draw was just the second time in his senior career he has played more than 80 minutes — he lasted the full 90 against Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup in August and provided two assists — but Martin admitted he was struggling with cramp from around the 70-minute mark. Martin could be seen offering him a rousing pat on the back on the touchline as he took a water break with the clock ticking beyond 70 minutes, and he went to ground to stretch his calf muscles shortly after to the sound of serenades from the home crowd, having won a free-kick deep inside the Ipswich half. Dibling was eventually replaced on 82 minutes by last season’s top scorer Adam Armstrong .
“We need to get him to a place where he can last 90 minutes,” Martin said. “He’ll get used to that but also we need to bear in mind his age and be patient. It’s not all going to be easy.
There isn’t a linear path to being the best he can be.” Dibling could only watch from the sidelines as a 95th-minute Morsy strike flew into the top corner to cancel out his opener, a deflection taking the ball beyond the fingertips of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale . Margins as small as Dibling’s shin pads.
Much like Lallana, the provider of his opening goal, Dibling is no stranger to leaving and returning to Southampton. While there was over a decade between 36-year-old Lallana’s last Premier League start for the club and his outing against Ipswich, Dibling’s departure lasted just two months. Advertisement In July 2022, he joined Chelsea ’s academy, having attracted interest from Newcastle United .
Aged 16, it was his first move away from home. There soon became a sense he felt lost in the crowd at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground . He accepted he was not enjoying the move and by September he was a Southampton player once more.
In December 2023 he signed a contract that runs until 2026. The early signs are showing that Dibling is looking very much at home in the Premier League. (Top photo: Dan Istitene/Getty Images).
