Southampton vs Tottenham Hotspur. Premier League.
St. Mary's StadiumAttendance31,361.
Monday 22 January 2018 08:40, UK
Harry Kane scored his 99th Premier League goal but it was not enough for Tottenham to beat Southampton in a 1-1 draw on Super Sunday.
The striker moved within one of becoming the 27th Premier League centurion when equalising on 18 minutes after Davinson Sanchez had inadvertently put through his own net three minutes earlier.
Both teams created chances to win it in an entertaining clash in torrential conditions on the south coast as Southampton stretched their winless run to 11 games in the Premier League.
The result leaves Mauricio Pellegrino's men in the bottom three, a point from safety, while Spurs remain in fifth, two points off Liverpool in fourth, who play Swansea on Monday Night Football.
Heading into this game, Southampton's attackers had scored a total of 12 goals from a combined 93 appearances this season. Tottenham were in charitable mood and did the Saints' strikers job for them on 15 minutes when Sanchez turned a Ryan Bertrand cross into his own net.
Pellegrino's team had scored the opening goal in three of their last four home games, but failed to win any of them. The problem reared its head again as Spurs levelled three minutes later when Kane simply wanted it more than his marker Jack Stephens and bulleted home a header from close range.
Moussa Sissoko spurned a glorious opportunity from six yards on 30 minutes while Stephens headed inches wide from an excellent James Ward-Prowse delivery six minutes later.
As the rain relented, so did the clear-cut chances in the second period.
Dele Alli, who was subdued, drilled a low effort wide from 20 yards while Kane tried in vain to reach his milestone but a big chance evaded his clutches.
Substitute Erik Lamela nearly nicked it for Spurs late on but somehow he failed to convert from no more than three yards out after a magnificent block by Stephens.
There was still time for Southampton debutant Michael Obafemi - fresh from impressing in the under-17s - to spurn the chance to be an instant hero, missing his kick from eight yards with the goal gaping.
Fresh from scoring three goals in his last two games, the midfielder was in dynamic mood. Crashing into tackles to disrupt Tottenham's flow while also providing great quality from set-pieces with his gem of a right-boot. He really should have had an assist to his name but Stephens managed to head wide in the first-period after Ward-Prowse had put a free-kick on a plate for him.
Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino: "The players aren't fighting just for me, they are fighting for themselves and the club. The club is bigger than me and the players. We need to respect our fans and our board and the people that believe in us. My first commitment is to win myself as it's my profession - I want to win every game."
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino: "It was an even game, a difficult game to play. In possession, we made a lot of mistakes that allowed them lots of transitions. We created two massive chances but if you analyse the game it was a fair result. It wasn't our best version tonight -the pitch didn't help us but it was the same for both teams. We need to improve."
The FA Cup is back next weekend and Southampton face a clash with Watford at St Mary's while Tottenham take a trip to Sky Bet League Two side Newport County on Saturday evening.
