AM I DREAMING? Is there something wrong with my eyes or are Saints really becoming the most wonderfully bizarre team in the country?

Just when you thought things couldn't get any more surreal than Chris Marsden scoring from an overhead kick...they did.

Deep into injury time at Loftus Road and with his side trailing 2-1, Saints keeper Antti Niemi comes up for the first corner of his life.

There's a deflected shot, a bit of a scramble and the ball flies over to the Finnish international.

What happened next?

Does he miscontrol? Does he smash it out of the ground? Does he forget what end he's at and catch it?

No, he controls it on his chest, larrups a volley onto the crossbar and Michael Svensson heads home the equaliser.

Time to rub the eyes, laugh hysterically, start chanting 'you what, you what, you what, you what, you what, you what' and get yourself sectioned.

It looked like it was all over for me. The men in white coats, padded walls and heavy medication for at least a couple of years.

But no - this actually happened. And it was such fun. You had to rub your eyes, laugh hysterically (in disbelief), and shout 'you what?' But it did happen.

It was a great moment and it will live long in the memories of all those fortunate to sample the disbelief for themselves. The adrenaline rush for the thousands of travelling Saints fans and the players was clear for all to see.

Even the Fulham fans shrugged their shoulders and thought 'what can you do but laugh?'

The honest truth was that with the massive high of last week's FA Cup quarter-final win, the fantastic last four draw against Watford and the knowledge that the semi is only four weeks away, everybody was expecting this game to a serene and peaceful occasion.

And for 80 minutes it was.

After pulling off a few blinding saves in the first half, Niemi was finally beaten for the first time a minute before the break.

The fantastic Steed Malbranque crossed from the right and Louis Saha swivelled and volleyed home superbly into the bottom corner.

There was a bit of madness immediately after the break when Jason Dodd's innocuous looking backpass bounced wildly and Niemi had to head on to his own crossbar to keep it out.

But things got worse for Saints on 52 minutes when Malbranque outfought Fabrice Fernandes and beautifully played in Saha, whose vicious low cross was turned into his own net by Svensson.

There was little the Swede could do with Steve Marlet waiting behind him for the tap-in if he didn't try and deal with it.

Saints had a few chances in the first half - mainly down to the erratic, nerve frazzling and often maniacal goalkeeping of debutant Martin Herrera.

With Edwin van der Sar injured and Maik Taylor suspended, it was third choice keeper time and this guy's surreal style seemed to fit the afternoon perfectly.

He was charging out of his goal all over the place. He struggled to catch, punch, kick, clear and judge his runs and was so lucky to have escaped by the skin of his teeth everytime.

But just as it seemed the game would fizzle out into a comfortable home win, it came to life.

Having not scored from a corner all season, Saints have now done it three times in two games.

On 81 minutes Oakley's centre was headed home by James Beattie for a richly deserved 20th goal of a brilliant season. In doing so, he became the first Saint since Matthew Le Tissier in 1994/95 to reach the 20-goal mark in a single season. Then Le Tiss belted 29 in all competitions, but only 19 in the league - Beattie's current total.

Then Herrera was forced to tip Jo Tessem's long range shot over the bar when even his teammates must have feared it would slip through his fingers.

And from the corner it was bish, bash, bosh, from Antti Niemi and Michael Svensson, and the sides walked off even and stunned.

What next?