Tottenham vs Southampton LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction from fixture tonight
Follow all the action from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Spurred on by injustice and indignation, Southampton launched a resounding late fightback to snatch victory and leave Tottenham Hotspur’s top-four hopes sodden and deflated. As the full-time whistle blew, Ralph Hasenhuttl sank to his knees in the dugout and roared into the rain with the sort of fervour that had matched his side’s courage. Twice they had trailed Tottenham only to rally spectacularly as Armando Broja cancelled out Jan Bednarek’s own goal before Mohamed Elyounoussi and Che Adams scored near-identical headers within the space of three frantic minutes to seal a 3-2 victory in north London. It was Spurs’ second that had caused such controversy and ultimately served to ignite Southampton’s fury.
What appeared a clear foul in the build-up had left Broja crumpled on the halfway line with a head injury, but play was allowed to continue and Son Heung-min thought he had snatched all three points for Spurs. Antonio Conte became so incensed by Southampton’s protests that he had to be restrained by his assistants but by full-time the Italian’s face was bleak and almost disbelieving. Presented with a great chance to gain a foothold in the top-four race, this defeat will stain long after the clothes have dried, but perhaps that was fitting on a night when Spurs defended within themselves and Southampton played out of their skin.. Follow all the reaction from Tottenham vs Southampton below:
Tottenham vs Southampton: Pre-match thoughts of Antonio Conte
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte stressed the importance of consistancy for his team in picking up good results and making the Tottenham Hotspur stadium a fortress. He said:
It is important we have continuity in our results. We play Southampton and then Wolverhampton on Sunday and when we play at home, our stadium has to become our fortress. Also, our fans are ready to make a lot of noise and back us from the start until the end, and we have to exploit this situation.
“We are talking about a really good team. We played them a month ago (28 December), we drew (1-1) after a tough game. For sure, we have to pay great attention and we have to put on the pitch the same desire, the same will to get three points. We are in a good moment, and we want to play a good game and try to get three points.”
Tottenham vs Southampton: Head-to-head
Southampton have lost 13 of the 19 Premier League meetings since they returned to the top flight in 2012. Only Manchester City have beaten them as often as Spurs during that period.
Saints have lost 10 of their last 11 away fixtures against Spurs in all competitions, including each of the last six.
Ralph Hasenhuttl happy with Southampton’s squad strength after quiet window
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl admits it feels strange to find his squad fully intact after the January transfer window, but knows everyone will be needed for the challenges ahead.
Unlike the summer where Danny Ings and Jannik Vestergaard left before the deadline, Saints did not see their ranks depleted.
According to reports, the club’s new owners fended off interest from Newcastle in defender Mohammed Salisu for a deal which could have been worth around £40million.
Ralph Hasenhuttl happy with Southampton’s squad strength after quiet window
The Saints lost Danny Ings and Jannik Vestergaard before the summer deadline.
Tottenham vs Southampton: Team changes
Antonio Conte makes no changes to the Tottenham team that impresses against Brighton in the FA Cup last weekend.
Ralph Hasenhuttl on the other hand brings 10 players back into the starting XI with only captain James Ward-Prowse keeping his spot from the weekend’s cup fixture against Coventry.
Tottenham vs Southampton: Line-ups
Tottenham XI: Lloris, Royal, Sanchez, Romero, Davies, Reguilon, Hojbjerg, Winks, Lucas, Son, Kane
Southampton XI: Forster, Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Salisu, Perraud, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong, Elyounoussi, Broja, Adams
Tottenham vs Southampton: Premier League standings
Tottenham come into the game in a decent position. They’re are pushing for a top four finish and currently sit seventh in the Premier League table but have games in hand on those above them. That means Spurs could potentially move as high as third if they win them all but a more reasonable outlook for Antonio Conte will be to pick up three points this evening and see how the other Premier League games pan out.
Southampton (12th) are fairly secure too. They are nine points above the relegation zone and are pushing for a top 10 finish. Any points picked up against the big six is a bonus and if the Saints avoid defeat tonight they’ll be more than happy.
Tottenham vs Southampton: Recent results
Tottenham have only lost to Chelsea in 2022 but they’ve played each other in three games across all competitions and Antonio Conte’s men came up short three times. Elsewhere though their form is pretty good. They’ve notched up wins against Watford and Leicester in the Premier League and are into the FA Cup fifth round after beating Morecambe and Brighton. With Manchester United dropping points yesterday Spurs can catch them this evening and still two games in hand on the Red Devils.
Southampton have have a good start to the New Year. They’ve only lost once in five games (3-1 versus Wolves in the Premier League), won three times (including a 2-1 comeback victory over Coventry in the FA Cup fourth round) and even held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw in the league. Those results put them on the verge of the top 10 and if they beat Tottenham tonight they could end the day in the top half of the table.
Tottenham vs Southampton team news
Eric Dier, Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga are all missing through thigh, groin, and knee injuries respectively but new signings Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski could make their Premier League debuts for Tottenham.
For Southampton, defender Lyanco is out for up to 12 weeks after picking up a hamstring injury against Coventry in the FA Cup at the weekend. Nathan Tella is unavailable but Armando Broja will be assessed before kick off.
Antonio Conte vows to improve Harry Kane even further
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Antonio Conte has vowed to make Harry Kane even better.
The England captain has found a new lease of life under the Italian after a dismal start to the season, scoring seven goals in his last 11 games in all competitions.
Kane’s poor form at the beginning of the campaign was down to a contribution of factors, including his summer exertion in Euro 2020 with England, the disappointment of seeing a move to Manchester City fall through and the tactics of former boss Nuno Espirito Santo which totally nullified his goal threat.
However, he is looking back to his best under Conte and has credited the Italian with improving both his physical condition and the mindset around the club.
Conte has called the 28-year-old “world class” but wants to take him to a new level.
“Surely when you have a player like Harry, you have to try to involve him in your tactical idea of football,” Conte said. “He’s an important player for us and he has to be a point of reference when we develop our football offensively.
“We’re trying to work with him in many aspects. I think every single player can improve until he decides to stop his career.”
Full report here:
Antonio Conte vows to make ‘world class’ Harry Kane even better at Tottenham
Kane is looking back to his best under Conte and has credited the Italian with improving both his physical condition and the mindset around the club
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