BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 25th APRIL, 2015
(12.45pm)
SOUTHAMPTON 2(1) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2(1)

Southampton scorers:-
Pelle, 29, 65

Spurs scorers:-
Lamela, 43
Chadli, 70

Attendance:- 31,622

Referee:- Jonathan Moss
Assistants:- S. Burt & A. Halliday
Fourth official:- L. Probert

Teams:-
Southampton (4-1-3-1-1):- K. Davis; Clyne, Fonte (Capt.), Yoshida, Bertrand; Aldereireld; Ward-Prowse (sub Long, 61), Schneiderlin (sub Reed, 90), S. Davis (sub Elia, 80); Mane; Pelle

Subs not used:- Gazzaniga; Gardos, Targett; Tadic

Booked:- S. Davis (foul on Mason)

Spurs (4-2-3-1):- Lloris (Capt.); Dier, Fazio, Vertonghen, Davies (sub Chiriches, 76); Mason, Bentaleb (sub Soldado, 87); Lamela, Eriksen, Chadli (sub Dembele, 83); Kane

Subs not used:- Vorm; Yedlin; Townsend, Stambouli

Booked:- Vertonghen (foul), Davies (foul), Fazio (foul)

Spurs match Pelle to gain a satisfactory point.

In the scheme of things (i.e - qualification for European football), this was a more than satisfactory point for Spurs, who thus retained sixth place and the one point gap above today's opponents. If Arsenal fail to beat Aston Villa in the FA Cup Final, then sixth place will be required to reach the Europa League.

If there was a team more likely to win today, then it was Southampton, who missed two good chances to take full control of the game in front of their fans baying discontent with their former manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Pochettino gets the last laugh though, having taken four points off his old team this season.

Hugo Lloris made a welcome return to the team, but there was no Danny Rose, despite yesterday's team news which indicated that only Kyle Walker was a definite absentee. Rose's absence was costly for Spurs, as his replacement, Ben Davies can be given the blame for both Southampton's goals. Davies, was among several Spurs players who seemed to struggle with a slippery surface, and in the case of Saints' first goal, this was crucial.

Paulinho, who was made man of the match by SKY last week at Newcastle, didn't even make the eighteen, with Ryan Mason returning, and doing a competent job next to Nabil Bentaleb. I made Bentaleb my Spurs man of the match. He made plenty of interventions where it counted, and offered plenty to the team going forward.

The match was played in bright and mild conditions in front of what must have been close to a full house. Some of the home fans were dressed in orange (not that many), celebrating "Ronald Koeman" day. Even the Southampton players' socks looked a bit orange!

The game was more than a little tentative for the first fifteen minutes. There was one tussle down the touch line between Ben Davies and Mane, with Spurs coming off the better to win a throw.

Eric Dier made an excellent run down the right wing, before his cross to Lamela,whose attempted pass to the left of the area forced a Spurs corner. There was another good Spurs attack, started by Bentaleb, with Lamela, and Eriksen involved, before a cross from the left was cleared.

Ryan Bertrand caused Spurs problems all game, and after 17 minutes, his cross from the left was cleared by Spurs to Harry Kane, who was cynically fouled in his own half by Morgan Schneiderlin, who escaped a card. Indeed, referee Jon Moss seemed to let a lot go today, which probably worked more in Spurs' favour, with home fans often baffled as to why they were not getting free kicks. Mane was going down a little too easily though, whenever a Spurs player came near.

Ward-Prowse took a low and powerful corner after 24 minutes, which was met with power by Schneiderlin, but well saved by Lloris. Spurs didn't escape for too long though, with the first goal coming five minutes later. Mane managed to force his way to the edge of the area, and it looked as though Spurs had successfully closed him down. There was a chance to clear, but the ball was half-blocked. First Ryan Mason slipped on the surface at a crucial moment, then the ball ran towards Davies on the left of the box. Davies also slipped slipped, and could only prod the ball to the feet of Pelle, who made no mistake.

Jan Vertonghen's name went into Mr. Moss's book, and Ward-Prowse floated in a free kick, which Pelle headed wide.

Davies then got needlessly booked for an unnecessary foul in the Southampton half, before Spurs did manage to get a shot on goal. It came from Chadli, fed by Eriksen from the left, but the shot was well over the target.

Bertrand crossed again from the left, but Steve Davis mis-cued and fired wide. Veteran goalkeeper Kelvin Davis made a point blank save from Lamela's snap shot, after a ball by Chadli. Saints managed to clear that ball, but two minutes before the break, Dier got forward again, crossed from the right and Lamela scored with a header, which apparently might have come off his arm. Whatever the case, the goal counts, and Spurs were level. Davis got a hand to the ball, but it hit the net to his left.

Four minutes after the interval, Davies again had loads of space, and time, and a lot of goal to aim at, but he pushed his shot wide. It looked like Davis again a few minutes later, after Bertrand's cross from the left and a touch back by Pelle, but this shot also went wide.

Lloris had to tip a Bertrand cross over the bar for a corner, and soon after that Bertrand had a chance after Pelle's touch, but the shot went wide across goal.

It came as no surprise really when the home side did regain the lead. The opportunity came after Ben Davies chose to put an attempted headed clearance into the centre of midfield, where it was met by red and white striped shirt, leading to a cross by Shane Long from the right and a good headed goal by Pelle, back in scoring form in recent games.

Spurs got back on terms within five minutes, and this was an excellent goal. Dier sent a good pass from towards the wing outside Yoshida, who lost out to Chadli, who got around his outside, and beat Kelvin Davis with a shot across his hands into the far corner.

Very soon after the equaliser, Ben Davies was falling over again, and this time it was in the Spurs area, where he might even have been punished by the referee when he stuck a foot out in falling. Davies had to be stretchered off, and was replaced by Chiriches, who took over from Vertonghen, with Vertonghen moving to left back.

Bentaleb conceded a free kick taken by Schneiderlin. Fazio made a good clearance in front of goal from the resulting header.

There were seven minutes of added time, but Spurs seemed more determined to hang onto the point than to seek a winner.

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