Tottenham 3–1 Southampton Player Ratings: Brennan Johnson’s Brilliant Display Earn a Comfortable Victory for the Spurs at Home

Its a bottom table clash in the Premier League as the sixteenth placed Tottenham face the lowest placed Southampton who is almost inescapable in the relegation battle for the thirty first matchday of the Premier League at the state-of-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham, who once were one of the contenders for the title, were having a dreadful season, having won only 10 matches this season. Nevertheless, the home fans came in solid numbers, chanting and roaring for their team even in their lows, and for this reason, Tottenham had to give their all on the field to make their supporters proud and give back the result for their support.

Southampton, on the other hand, are almost relegated from the championship, lying at the bottom of the table. A win was compulsory for them to stay alive in the league and get away from the relegation trap. Tottenham opted for the 4-3-3 formation, and the visitors chose to field themselves in the 4-3-2-1 setup for the encounter.

Tottenham got the ball rolling and although they did not find the back of the net, they were completely dominating the match. The team as a unit won all the ground duels they were involved in, alongside making some attempts on target. The attempt continued til the 11th minute when Southampton made an unexpected move inside the box, which missed the goal by Tottenham’s luck.

However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Spurs, as after this move, Southampton shifted their defensive approach to an offensive which meant that there was a lot of space left in their defence. Such a gap was properly capitalized by Tottenham as they filled themselves in the gap, accelerated forward with the ball, made some overlapping runs and passes inside the box to score the first goal of the match.

The game continued with Tottenham having plenty of possession, which made the opponents desperate to win balls and keep the match in their control; however, this desperation only turned against them as they committed multiple fouls and even got booked under the referee’s pen. Their tendency to commit fouls again made problems as Lucas Bergvall registered himself in the scoresheet. However, after a long deliberation, the goal was ruled out as a Tottenham player was found offside.

This disallowed goal did not stop Tottenham from making attacks further. They constantly kept knocking the door and the door opened in the 41st minute as Johnson once again shook the net from a cheeky attempt confusing the keeper and making it 2-0 for the hosts and at half time the Spurs had a comfortable 2-0 lead against the Saints.

The second half was slow and boring, with the game mostly being played in the midfield. Both teams lost the ball multiple times, and there were no good moves made except for a few times when either of the teams came into attack for a countable number of times. In the 90th minute, Southampton found the back of the net after several attempts, but just minutes after their delight, M Tel scored the penalty for Spurs, sealing a 3-1 victory for the home side.

Here are the Tottenham vs Southampton Player Ratings

Tottenham Player Ratings

GK – Guglielmo Vicario – 7/10

Vicario made a stunning save to block the brilliant attempt from Kamaldeen Suleman in the opening minutes of the game. Apart from that chances he was free for the rest of the match except for a few touches and catches here and there.

LB – Djed Spence – 7/10

Marked his presence both in the attack and defence. He regularly came in on the left wing of the attacking third to provide support for the attacking midfielders and the forwards. Made an assist from the left side of the box that was tapped in by Johnson that marked the match opening goal. Won multiple fouls as had the ball for a decent amount of time which provoked the opponents from playing harshly, ultimately committing fouls.

Had a great opportunity to score in the dying seconds of the first half when he tried to chip over the keeper however, the keeper’s brilliance kept the goal away. Was involved in multiple interceptions and duels which he managed to win.

CB – Ben Davies – 6/10

Was seen taking charge of the left back position as Spence took responsibility for moving forward in the attacking third. Had a bare minimum role in the match as the opponents found it hard to reach the backline. He was the source of multiple build-ups for the home side.

CB – Cristian Romero – 6.5/10

Made a few attempts from the centre of the box, which were easily saved by the Saints keeper. Along with the strikers, his presence made the job difficult for the defenders in pink. Had a great chance to head the ball into the net in the twenty-sixth minute which, to his misfortune, hit the face of the keeper. Stood solid at the defence and kept the clean sheet.

RB – Pedro Porro – 7.5/10

Though he lost possession multiple times and his passing accuracy was low, his presence boosted the play on the right wing as he was seen everywhere on the right side of the pitch, be it attacking or defending. Won almost every duel he was involved in, compensating for the possession lost by him. Had a playmaker role throughout the match.

CM – James Maddison – 7.5/10

Headed the ball cleverly to Johnson in between the mess inside the box that marked the second goal of the day for Hotspurs. Similarly like Porro he lost the possession multiple times his passing accuracy in the final third was pivotal as that created some serious trouble for the opponents.

CM – Rodrigo Bentancur – 6.5/10

Though less in number he made contributions in every aspect of the game be it defending or attacking. Came back and took the defensive role whenever the opponents progressed further and came pouncing into the attacking third whenever the Spurs made a move to provide some valuable touches and passes.

CM – Lucas Bergvall – 6.5/10

Compared to his teammates he had an average or a below average match. Was involved in making some interceptions but the number remained minimal.

LW – Heung-min Son – 6/10

Did not have much of a role to play as his fellow teammates in the left flank Maddison and Spence covered the entire left wing. He had a role of supporting each players by making passes and keeping himself properly positioned to make the first touch.

CF – Dominic Solanke – 6.5/10

Had a bad day at the office as he was unable to create any big chances for his team. Had a really low xA and xG of just 0.01 and 0.07 respectively. Had a very bad positioning throughout the match and made only a cameo appearance at every side of the pitch where he had minimal contributions.

RW – Brennan Johnson – 8.5/10

Made a left-footed shot in the early minutes to find the back of the net and open the account for the Spurs. In the 40th minute, he made a cheeky tap-in in between the huzzes and buzzes inside the box, doubling the delight for Spurs along with marking his 50th goal in English Football. Won the penalty in the dying minutes that paved the way for the third goal

Sub – M. Tel – 7/10

Scored a penalty, making the score 3-0

Sub – Y. Bissouma – 6.5/10

Sub – A. Gray – 6/10

Sub – W. Odobert- 6/10

Sub – P. M. Sarr – 6/10

Coach – Ange Postecoglou – 6.5/10

Properly deployed tactics and made timely substitutions to earn a much-needed win at home. Understood that the opponents left space and properly countered that opportunity, which completely broke the Saints down

Southampton Player Ratings

GK – Aaron Ramsdale – 7/10

Though he had a minimal role in preventing the first goal, he made some point-blank saves that came from every side of the penalty box that kept them trailing only by one goal in the first half.

Was subject to some confusion multiple times as the Spurs scored twice, tricking him out of which one was ruled out due to his fortune. Was just a spectator during the second goal as the ball slowly rolled in front of his eyes and he had nothing else to do other than appealing for an offside and getting frustrated at his defence. Had his fingers on a chipping ball from Spene in the final moments of the first half.

LB – Ryan Manning – 6.5/10

Had a good display of his skills both in the attack and the defence. Was key in blocking the deadly right wing of the Spurs. Properly marked Son and prevented him from making any moves in the box. It was one of the key reasons why the Spurs scored just two and no more.

CB – Taylor Harwood-Bellis – 6/10

Gave away lots of space in the initial minutes when the team switched to offensive mode in the early minutes. Failed to intercept the balls for a large part of the game. Did not have coordination with his teammates

CB – Jan Bednarek – 6.5/10

He lacked communication with the keeper, and the backline created a lot of confusion. However, he came to the rescue in multiple instances by making some good tackles and clearances.

RB – Kyle Walker-Peters – 6.8/10

Was good in shadowing the players in his territory. Properly marked Johnson whenever he tried to accelerate from the wings. Though he performed well in the wings, when it came to performing as a team he was helpless.

CM – Joe Aribo – 6.4/10

Played decently by making good passes and interceptions in the midfield. However, he left a lot of space for the Spurs players to infiltrate, as a reason for which he was substituted in the starting minutes of the second half.

CM – Lesley Ugochukwu – 6/10

Was seen everywhere in the pitch. But his presence did not create any impact throughout the match. His frustration led to him committing some bad fouls and getting booked by the referee. After this he had relatively a safer approach to the match and this limited him badly.

RW – Tyler Dibling– 5.8/10

Had a terrible performance. It was completely restricted to the right flank and did not provide much support to both the attackers and defenders. Even at the right wing, where he had a vast majority of his activity, he was unable to create any good chances for his team. Lost almost every duel he was involved in, be it ground or in the air.

AM – Mateus Fernandes– 7/10

Made an unnecessary foul in a relatively dangerous position that was converted by the Spurs, which, after a VAR check, was ruled out offside. However, in the second half had a relatively better game as he made some good passes. Scored the compensatory goal for the Saints, showing the fighting mentality even when they’re completely lost.

LW – Kamaldeen Sulemana – 6.8/10

Created one of the only real chances for the Saints by progressing forward through the left side of the box. However, the keeper made a point-blank save, keeping him away from scoring. Although after that attempt he failed to make any moves in the attack. Made an assist in the final minutes but it was too late by then.

CF – Cameron Archer – 6/10

Was in his own box for a large time due to the extensive attack by the Spurs. As an attacker he was not contributing, however in the midfield region where he played most of the time he played in a pretty decent manner. His inability to move forward with the ball led to him being subbed off early in the second half.

Sub – R. Stewart – 6/10

Sub – P. Onuachu – 6/10

Sub – Y. Sugawara – 6/10

Sub – Welington – 6/10

Sub – W. Smallbone – 6/10

Coach – Ivan Jurić – 6/10

Though his team performed exceptionally well in the first 10 minutes, they shattered once the opponents scored the first. Failed to bring composure until the very last minute. However, the fighting mentality of the coach is commendable, and that was the foundation for the compensatory goal scored by his team

Sportsdunia Player of the Match is Brennan Johnson.