Tottenham Hotspur were victims of their own high standards at St Mary’s this afternoon, frustrated to be leaving Southampton with just one point, which leaves them stuck in fifth place. Under other circumstances this might be source of some pride: against a team fighting for its life, in pouring rain, after going 1-0 down and without Christian Eriksen, their most influential creator.
But in reality this felt like a missed opportunity. Spurs did not create many chances but they still dominated the game against a Saints side bereft of confidence. Spurs, however, had won six of their last eight in the league, including a 5-2 destruction of Saints at Wembley less than one month ago. Here they rather ran aground, failing to find the right levels of intensity and imagination, only scoring from a set piece, barely threatening until a brief flurry of chances in the final minutes.
Southampton had worked hard to get into the lead, even if it only lasted for two minutes. The problem with Spurs’ 4-2-3-1, especially with Moussa Sissoko playing out on the right, is that it left Serge Aurier desperately exposed. Dusan Tadic knew that and four minutes in his low cross was nearly turned in by Manolo Gabbiadini. The next time Saints attacked down their left, they scored. Tadic rolled a pass through to Ryan Bertrand on the overlap, he whipped the ball to the near post. Davinson Sanchez slid in but sliced the ball into the bottom corner.
What was so impressive about Spurs is how they barely looked worried by conceding. Two minutes later they were level. Ben Davies curled in a corner from the right, Kane ran away from Jack Stephens, leaped up above Gabbiadini and thumped his header in. His 11th goal in his last seven games, in case you had lost count.
The problem for Spurs is that without Eriksen they are effectively lobotomised. He is their football brain but here he was ill and the team desperately missed his thoughtful guidance. In his place they had Sissoko, the opposite of a like-for-like replacement. So Spurs’ game was far more about getting the ball down the channels, and into the box, than any clever build-up. It nearly worked: Ben Davies hammered one cross into the box that Sissoko failed to turn in. Then Davies put another into the box, Kane swivelled to volley but was tackled by Stephens.
Southampton could always threaten from set plays and Stephens should really have put his team back in front just before the break, getting on the end of a Ward-Prowse free-kick but getting his free header all wrong, and sending it wide.
The pressure was on Tottenham to step it up in the second half but it took them plenty of time to do anything different. Pochettino did not make his first change until the 70th minute, finally bringing on Erik Lamela, but for Son, surprisingly, rather than Sissoko. That decision was booed by the away end and two minutes later Kieran Trippier came on for Aurier. Up until those two changes Spurs had done precious little in possession, their best moment coming when Alli fizzed a shot just wide from20 yards.
Even the last 20 minutes, when there should have been a Tottenham siege, was not quite good enough. The closest Spurs came was with seven minutes left when Sissoko got free in the box and set up Lamela. He should have scored from close range but was crowded out by defenders and the chance was gone. Lamela nearly bundled in a header and slid to get on the end of a Kane shot, but never with any luck.
It was two substitute at the other end who came closest to winning the game. First debutant Michael Obafemi, getting on the end of Tadic’s cross, with four minutes left, only to skew his shot wide. Then Sofiane Boufal getting in but shooting straight at Sanchez. Spurs were relieved not to be beaten, but there was no doubt which manager was more frustrated at the final whistle.
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