December 28, (THEWILL) – Tottenham’s recent momentum was impeded as they were held to a 1-1 draw by a determined Southampton side that was reduced to 10 men in the first half.
The hosts started far better than Spurs, going 1-0 up before Mohammed Salisu’s dismissal turned the game on its head. Despite their best attempts, Tottenham were unable to find a winner in the second half, with the Saints holding on for a hard-fought point.
Within the first five minutes of the game, the Saints had their first opportunity. After some exquisite build-up play, Kyle Walker-Peters whipped in a wonderful cross from the right, but Shane Long could only tip his header past the post.
Long and Yan Valery would then waste half-chances as Tottenham fought to gain control of the game.
But it was the hosts who took a deserved lead in the 24th minute when skipper James Ward-Prowse rifled home from the edge of the box after the ball broke kindly to him.
Spurs needed this jolt to improve, and things were turned upside down just before the break when Salisu was sent off for a second bookable offence. He brought down Son Heung-min in the box, and Harry Kane converted the resulting penalty with ease to draw level.
Spurs attempted to take advantage of their opponents’ numerical disadvantage and had the ball in the back of the net shortly after the restart, only for Kane’s finish to be ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Antonio Conte’s side had the ball back in the net 24 minutes later. However, the goal was chalked off once more, this time because of a foul on goalie Fraser Forster.
Armando Broja darted through in the closing moments for Southampton, but his effort was blocked. Kane’s and Bryan Gil’s late misses summarised the game for each team.
Spurs continued to press their hosts, with Son and Kane both attempting to find a winner. Their efforts bore no reward before the final whistle.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
