Tottenham Hotspur steamrolled 10-man Southampton at St. Mary’s as Nathan Redmond saw red after an even 1st half. Southampton opened the scoring early on with Van Dijk heading home the opener but Spurs slowly took control of the game before Alli headed in the equaliser. Kane scored the second to put them in front before Redmond’s challenge on Alli got him a red card. But Kane sent the resulting penalty into the stands which has since drawn hilarious comparisons with the NFL. Moving on, the miss ultimately proved inconsequential with Son and Alli adding gloss to the scoreline with 2 late goals. It was a blow to Southampton who have otherwise been very solid defensively.
Let us take a look at how the players performed as they moved to within 1 point of 4th placed Arsenal.
LLORIS- 6/10
Couldn’t do much about the header from Van Dijk. Had a relatively quiet night otherwise.
WALKER- 7/10
Continued on his good form this season. His vociferous attacking runs down the wings pinned back the Southampton defenders. Booked.
DIER- 6/10
Decent performance from the centre-back who stepped in for Alderweireld. His distribution was varied but he was pretty solid defensively.
VERTONGHEN-6.5/10
Partly at fault for the goal as he was outjumped by his counterpart. Grew into the game after that as Spurs dominated.
ROSE- 7/10
Was the best defender on the night. Came up a crucial last-ditch tackle to stop Southampton from going 2-0 up. Had an enticing duel with Redmond till the latter lasted.
WANYAMA- 7.5/10
Carries on his excellent displays at the centre of the park. Some stoic Southampton defending denied him a rare goal. Controlled the tempo well.
DEMBELE- 7/10
His usual controlled display with an authoritative command over the ball. A caution for a tangle with Redmond seemed to curb his aggressive demeanour, though.
ERIKSEN- 8/10
Continued his good recent run as he notched up two assists. Was a constant menace for the Southampton defence throughout. Had two excellent chances to score.
ALLI- 8/10
A good day in the office for the youngster. Two goals capped off a fine display as he hustled and harried the defence and stamped his authority in the final third.
SISSOKO- 6.5/10
Took time to settle but showed his pace and power along with his vision as his pass to Alli before the penalty showed. Needs games to settle completely.
KANE- 7.5/10
Leaving the embarrassing penalty miss aside, had a productive day in the office. Scored his 18th goal in his last 21 away games.
