Southampton V Tottenham Hotspur The Verdict Wednesday, 29th Dec 2021 10:23 It might not have been a win, but it felt like it at the final whistle after Saints had dug in and gained an unlikely looking point after going down to 10 men in the 39th minute when Mohammed Salisu was sent off. When the team was announced an hour before kick off there weren't many Saints fans who felt confident of a result of any sort, not in the team or even on the bench were Che Adams, Tino Livramento, Lyanco, Jack Stephens, Moussa Djenepo & Will Smallbone, suggesting that Covid 19 is hitting the squad, add to that that Oriol Romeu, Moi Elyounoussi and Armando Broja were on the bench, presumably rested due to the number of games in quick succession and hopes were not high pre match.
But from the start it was clear that although it was a patched up team, there was a spirit in it that will surely see us through this season, a few weeks ago some ranted after a 3-0 defeat at Arsenal taking no account of the fact that in that game we had lost the spine of the team to injury and the Gunners were in fine form, they questioned Ralph Hasenhuttl and the quality and the commitment of his squad. But at West Ham and again at Spurs it was clear that this was a squad playing for it's manager, Spurs were their usual showboating selves relying on Son Heung Ming and Harry Kane to carry them through.
But Saints matched skill against their own spirit and were winning the battle as half time approached and they led 1-0 thanks to a stunning strike from James Ward Prowse in the 25th minute, he played a captain's game and ran the midfield in the first half. But things changed in the 39th minute, we got caught out and Son was through and brought down by Salisu who having already been booked for a second yellow, that was a fair decision, or would have been if he hadn't been booked earlier for a tackle that did not deserve a free kick against him let alone a yellow. It was now going to be backs to the wall after the break and every man played a part, non more than Shane Long, who did what Shane Long does well, he held the ball up, he harassed the Spurs back line and he drew free kicks that got us up the field and brought us time. But more importantly he knew where he should be on the pitch, he read the game and saw a lot of the ball.
When he went off, Saints lost something up front, Broja is of course a better player than Long, but he is a different type of player, Broja didn't have the guile of Long and often chased shadows, it wasn't his sort of game from a defensive perspective, but he did offer us an attacking option and this nearly paid off when he almost won it at the death. There are those who give Shane Long no credit, they ask why he is still at the club, but they were silenced after this performance, he offered us depth at a time when we were missing 6 outfield players through injury with another 3 rested. Yes he is no longer a first choice, but he can do a job and this was the type of game you needed him, a year ago we were playing kids. Likewise Yan Valery, three years ago he looked to have a great future at the club, but then something went wrong and he lost his way, but form is temporary, class is permanent and Valery stepped up to the plate for his first Premier League appearance of the season, he was solid at right back and then after we went down to 10 men and he was pressed into action as a centre back, he put in a sterling performance.
So it was backs to the wall for Saints and everyman did their duty, yes we had to ride our luck, Harry Kane was centimetres offside for his disallowed effort and on another day the foul on Fraser Forster might not have been given, but it was a foul, the Spurs player barged into him, in any other area of the field it would have been given so the ref or VAR did get that right. For obvious reasons Spurs had a lot of possession, but they lacked any sort of real quality and any other options other than trying to get the ball to Kane or Son, that meant that they played into Saints hands and they found a wall of red & white stripes that they rarely got through after Kane's early disallowed effort in the second half. If they did get a shot in then Fraser Forster looked solid, making 10 saves, the most by a keeper to not end on the losing side in the Premier League this season.
But it was not just his saves it was his overall play, he came out of his box to clear on a number of occasions and dealt with crosses with confidence. It was a nervy second half and one that seemed to go on for ever, but this was a game you go to football for, to see your team put in a great performance, on that matter great performances don't always have to be wins, sometimes like this game, they are in adversity and a draw in this case was a fair result, we could have collapsed, but we didn't, yes we rode our luck, but we also made that luck by our never say die attitude, our 100 % commitment and a spirit in the squad that is down to the manager.
As mentioned we almost won it late on, but for that matter Spurs had decent chances in injury time as well, they kept at us right to the end. Ironically when the final whistle went such was the relief and celebration, most didn't notice that the cleared ball was picked up by Broja who in the centre circle had a clear run at goal, sadly Antony Taylor who seemed to want to keep the game going past the announced 5 minutes to give Spurs every chance to score did notice and seemingly did not want further controversy if Broja had gone on and scored so blew for full time.
A couple of weeks ago we travelled to Crystal Palace for the start of three tricky games that some would say we would struggle to get a single point from, we have come through with 5 and can take great satisfaction from as all three games saw patched up sides and were won by sheer graft and spirit. That augurs well for the second half of the season, we have never really got going in the first half, we haven't beaten anyone with ease, haven't truly found our form, but we have 21 points from those 19 games and if we repeat this in the next 4 months or so then we will be safely in mid table and not looking over our shoulders.
As it is we are up there with Brighton and Brentford, teams who have been supposedly in great form and above Everton who were being tipped to break into the top six. Only 1 point behind Aston Villa whom Danny Ings joined for the challenge. But if we can get everyone fit and firing on all cylinders then it could be a decent second half of the season, the squad is bigger and better than a year ago, yes it does need a couple of additions to truly give it the icing on the cake, but it has potential.
This was a day when it made you proud to be a Saints fan, sadly in the Premier League these days, every day can't be like that, we have to go through more disappointing days than great ones, but when a result like this is obtained it makes all the bad days worthwhile. It's a roller coaster ride with Saints it always has been, the past though is in the past, it is only the future that is unwritten, a few good results in the second half of the season and we can still make it the best one since Claude Puel took us to 8th 5 years ago. Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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