Spurs march past the Saints
Written By: Robert Halter
Following a 1-1 draw in St Mary’s stadium, Tottenham Hotspur hosted Southampton in the FA Cup fourth round replay, early February. In the fourth minute, from Eric Dier’s over the top delivery, Heung-Min Son brought the ball back for Ryan Sessegnon, who fired the ball straight at Angus Gunn. But the Saints broke instantly as Nathan Redmond sent a cross over to Danny Ings, but his strike went into the path of Hugo Lloris. In the seventh minute, Sofiane Boufal broke down the left and his ball across was turned behind by Lloris. During the tenth minute, Ings linked play with Shane Long, before a low drive by Redmond, was kept out by the outstretched boot of Lloris. But the Lilywhites struck the first blow in the twelfth minute, when Sessegnon started the move before Lucas Moura found Harry Winks, whose ball over to Sessegnon deflected back off Jack Stephens, and then from the follow up shot by Tanguy Ndombele, the ball was deflected into his own net by Stephens. In the nineteenth minute from an incisive through ball by James Ward-Prowse, a rising strike by Ings, rattled the top of the Spurs crossbar. In another Saints move, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and then Oriol Romeu created space for Ryan Bertrand, whose strike outside the area, was kept out by Lloris. But in the thirty fourth minute, Boufal put the ball over to Redmond, whose shot on the turn was pushed out by Lloris, into the direction of Long, who struck the ball into the bottom left corner, to draw the Saints level. Ward-Prowse soon required treatment after a nasty clip on his ankle by Sessegnon, and was replaced by Jannik Vestergaard. In first half stoppage time, Stephens pass to Redmond, was skied over the top of the crossbar. Four minutes into the second half, from a cross by Romeu, a well timed header by Hojbjerg, rose over the top of the upright. The Saints pressed again as from Ings run on goal, the ball bounced back off Dier, and Boufal drove the ball narrowly past the left post. But the Lilywhites responded as Son ran down the left side, whose cross was headed out to the right of the target by Moura. Spurs soon changed Jan Vertonghen with Gedson Fernandes for his home Spurs debut. The first booking went to Jan Bednarek for a tug on Moura. In the fifty eighth minute, Vestergaard’s over the top ball was played on by Stephens past Sessegnon, and Long was unable to find the mark, while being shepherded by Toby Alderweireld. In the nest Spurs move, a ball over from Fernandes to Son, was deflected past the face of the goal by Stephens. A yellow card was soon received to Fernandes for a foul on Boufal, before Tottenham took off Ndombele for Dele Alli. Further action was required by Lloris, first to turn away an in swinging cross by Boufal, before making a catch from a strike by Redmond. In the sixty fourth minute, from Bertrand’s corner, a bullet header by Vestergaard, was acrobatically tipped over by Lloris. The Saints soon took off Boufal for Stuart Armstrong. But in the seventy second minute, as Redmond drove forward from his own half, he set up Ings, who drilled the ball into the bottom right corner, past the helpless dive of Lloris. But the Saints only led for six minutes, as Winks combined with Moura, who was found by Alli, and from the centre of the area, Moura turned the ball into the bottom left corner. Long soon pulled up injured and was replaced by Che Adams. After barging over Moura, referee David Coote brandished a card to Romeu. On eighty four minutes, from Son’s corner, the ball was headed high and wide to the right by Alderweireld. Next in the book was Adams for charging over Serge Aurier. But on eighty six minutes, from Alli’s through ball, Son was brought down in the area by Gunn, who got booked, and Son struck the spot kick into the bottom left corner. Near the end, Sessegnon was substituted for Davinson Sanchez, as Spurs knocked out Southampton 3-2 to face a FA Cup fifth round home tie against Norwich City.