Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Southampton: 5 Hits and Flops | Premier League 2019/20
When the referee blew the full-time whistle at the end of ninety minutes on Saturday, Mauricio Pochettino was a relieved man. Tottenham Hotspur’s recent downturn in fortunes had caused an alarming slide down the Premier League table.
Spurs were also eliminated from the Carabao Cup in midweek and the win over Southampton provided much-needed respite to the Argentinean manager.
After ending as the runners up in last season’s UEFA Champions League, Tottenham were expected to build on their momentum and mount a serious title challenge this term. The ingredients were at Pochettino’s disposal and perhaps the time was ripe for the man too.
However, Spurs have shown alarming inconsistencies on the pitch this season. As such, Pochettino had headed into the game eyeing all 3 points and his team had even given him the perfect start.
Tanguy Ndombele’s goal meant that Tottenham had the stage ready to silence their critics. However, Serge Aurier’s red card jeopardized all plans. Huge Lloris’s antics caused further misery as the Saints equalized through Danny Ings. Thankfully though, Harry Kane was on song to lead his team out of trouble, scoring the final goal of the game and helping Spurs return to winning ways.
Tottenham managed a scrappy win against Southampton and here are the 5 hits and flops from the game.
#5 Hit: Maya Yoshida
The Japanese centre back had a stellar day at the office and was easily the pick of the players in the Saints side. Maya Yoshida gave a fine account of himself and was brilliant at the heart of the visitors' defense. He attempted 58 passes with a success rate of 88% and was crucial in Southampton’s build-up play.
Yoshida’s presence and aerial prowess ensured that Tottenham struggled to dominate in the final third. The Japanese won 8 aerial duels, the highest in the game and helped Southampton stay in the game till the very end.
Yoshida could have even scored a goal himself but his header in the second half was saved well by Lloris. Yoshida was certainly the Saints’ best player on the pitch.
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