Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 Southampton: Tottenham Player Ratings
Late goals from Lucas Moura and Son Heung-Min ensured that it will be Tottenham Hotspur and not Southampton who will face Norwich City in the FA Cup fifth round. (h/t Standard)
Tottenham took the lead against the run of play as the machinations of Ryan Sessegnon and Tanguy Ndombele forced an owl goal. Shane Long equalized before Danny Ings scored to put the Saints ahead with just 12 minutes remaining.
With Spurs seemingly on their way out, substitute Dele Alli was the difference maker and helped turn the tie on his head.
Alli fed the ball to Lucas who brought Spurs level. With extra-time looming, the midfielder put Son through on goal. The South Korean was brought down by the keeper and calmly slotted home the winner from the spot.
It was a rather unconvincing performance by Tottenham. The players showed grit and determination to eke out the win in trying circumstances. This should only augur well to build a mentality of never giving up.
Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings
Hugo Lloris (6/10)
Made a number of crucial saves for the team as Southampton threatened on numerous occasions. However, he wasn’t authoritative in coming off his line and his decision making in whether to catch or parry the ball was suspect at times.
Serge Aurier (6/10)
Continues to do better in attack than defense. Aurier at times looked unsure on how to defend against Southampton’s attacks and lost Shane Long easily as he was at hand to turn in Southampton’s equalizer.
Japhet Tanganga (6/10)
A solid performance by the youngster who has adapted well to football at the top level. Tottenham’s best defender on the night. Should have done better to deny Ings scoring his side’s second.
Toby Alderweireld (6/10)
The Belgian did well and was at hand to help out Tanganga and Vertonghen. Was solid at a personal level and went close with a header before Son’s winner.
Jan Vertonghen (4/10)
Could not cope with the pace and guile of Ings. The English forward got the better of the veteran defender a number of times but couldn’t thankfully convert. No surprise when he was taken off on 53 minutes.
Eric Dier (6/10)
An average performance by the midfielder. Didn’t do anything wrong but hard placed to remember him doing anything right either.
Ryan Sessegnon (6/10)
Provided life into Tottenham’s attacks in the first half. It was his bursting run into the box that led to Spurs’ first goal. Struggled defensively as he faded the longer the game went on.
Harry Winks(6.5/10)
Tottenham’s best midfielder on the night. made a number of key passes and showed ebautiful interplay in the buildup to the first goal. Should have done better defensively in the events leading up to Ings’s goal.
Tanguy Ndombele (6/10)
The Frenchman lasted an hour as he oscillated between the sublime and the shoddy. Fortunate to see his strike deflect off the Southampton defender into the net to give his side the lead.
Son Heung-Min (6.5/10)
The South Korean’s rating would be much lower if not for his winning the tie for his side. Squandered a number of opportunities where he either overplayed or failed to make a pass. Was fortunate to win the penalty with the slightest of fouls. Made the opportunity count as he once again made the difference for Tottenham.
Lucas Moura (6/10)
Another player who managed to do nothing of note,apart from grabbing an unlikely goal. Looked lost at times and at a loss of what to do.
Substitutes
Dele Alli (7.5/10)
The difference maker on the night. Brought energy and fight back into the Spurs side who were being dominated by the Saints. Provided the assist for Moura’s equalizer before putting Son through to win the penalty. An impressive cameo given his struggles of late.
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Gedson Fernandes (6/10)
Was eager and looked up for the task. Still needs time to adjust to the pace of the English game.
Davinson Sanchez (NA)
A late substitution as Mourinho sought to see out the game.
