Southampton vs Tottenham result: Spurs throw away lead but rue contentious late penalty
It is hard to know what to expect from one game to the next from Tottenham, but despite their binary win-lose-win-lose form they are still in a strong position in the race for a top four finish.
Win this afternoon at Southampton and Spurs will go above Manchester United into third, although United would have two games in hand due to playing in the FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend. Newcastle's win at Nottingham Forest on Friday night cranks up the pressure on Spurs, and third and seventh in the Premier League are currently separated by just eight points. With Spurs and United facing trips to St James' Park after the international break, the battle for Champions League football could be really exciting, with Brighton very much involved.
Southampton has proved a tricky away assignment for Spurs though, with just one win in their last five league visits. Since Ruben Selles took charge, Southampton have conceded just three goals in five league games but scoring is still proving a challenge. They missed chances to put 10-man Manchester United to the sword last week and a home defeat to Brentford on Wednesday was a blow. Southampton might be bottom, but are only five points from 12th.
For Spurs, Conte has some selection decisions to make. Ben Davies started further forward as a left wing-back in the win over Nottingham Forest, which might say more about the form of Ivan Perisic and Ryan Sessengon's injury status. Spurs fans have been calling for Richarlison to be given more starts, and his all-round game impressed against Forest when he was unfortunate to have a goal chalked off for offside. Given Forest's flimsy away record though, Spurs still have work to do to win over the sceptics. When performances are unconvincing, wins can start to feel like temporary reprieves. Consecutive league games against Southampton, Everton, Bournemouth and Brighton are a good chance for Spurs to find some consistency.
Full team news on the way shortly.
