Tottenham Hotspur will be feeling dejected after drawing 3-3 in their Premier League with Southampton this afternoon and Antonio Conte will surely be concerned about how his team let go of a two-goal lead in the last 15 minutes of the game.
The Lilywhites have now conceded more goals (40) than any other team in the top 12 and today’s performance has left them in a vulnerable position inside the top four as Newcastle United are chasing them down just two points behind with two games in hand.
Spurs did not only share the points on their visit to the south coast but also equally shared possession of the ball throughout their clash at St Mary’s, although were unable to dominate in any other area of the game with Southampton comfortably delivering more shots on goal (19 v 17) and more accurate passes completed (385 v 376), which ultimately led to a blockbuster comeback for the relegation battling side.
In the first half, Pedro Porro finally broke the stalemate in the final moments before half-time to give Tottenham the lead, however, when the final 45 minutes commenced Che Adams quickly got the home team back into the game with a 46th-minute equaliser.
The inevitable Harry Kane found the back of the net to score his 21st Premier League goal of the season with a typically clinical and ruthless header from inside the area, with the England skipper once again coming up trumps for his side in attack – before Ivan Perisic doubled the lead to make it 3-1 just nine minutes later.
It wasn’t over, however, as Theo Walcott kept the Saints’ hopes alive when he found his team’s second goal in the 77th minute and a reckless mistake from Pape Matar Sarr in the box ultimately delivered the golden opportunity to equalise to the opposition, with James Ward-Prowse converting a penalty in the dying minutes of the game.
Despite Spurs lacking fight all over the pitch, it was Son Heung-min – as well as partner-in-crime Kane – who refused to give up and offered so much to his team even though he didn’t make the scoresheet this afternoon.
How did Son get on vs Southampton?
There are not many players on the pitch that can hold their heads up high after another uninspiring performance from the north Londoners but Son perhaps hit back at his doubters after a troubled campaign with a far more influential display on the left flank.
Over his 90-minute performance, the 30-year-old winger – hailed for his “wonderful” pass by reporter George Sessions – registered one assist, completed 100% of his dribbles, won six duels and two tackles, as well as completing three key passes too, proving he was a huge presence on the pitch.
The South Korea international also hit a milestone when he delivered his assist for Porro’s opening goal in the first half as it marked his 50th assist in the Premier League since joining the club back in 2015.
It will surely be frustrating for a player like Son after putting on a resilient and close-to-faultless display away from home this afternoon, however, the Spurs boss will be hoping the individual quality of the winger will benefit and set an example to the squad in the upcoming fixtures.
With that being said, Conte and his squad will now have two weeks to find a way to put up a stronger fight when they return to action against Everton next month as they are running out of opportunities to fend off their rivals for fourth.
