Match Report: Tottenham 3-1 Southampton: Brennan Johnson back to his best

Tottenham Hotspur put an end to their two-match goal drought, relegating Southampton 3-1, thanks to a first-half brace from Brennan Johnson and a late penalty goal by Mathys Tel.

Well, despite the Premier League no longer being of much interest to Spurs fans this season, this game was all about building momentum and restoring a bit of confidence ahead of the Europa League quarter-final clash against Eintracht Frankfurt later this week.

Facing a Southampton side who had been flirting with relegation for what felt like an eternity, Spurs were expected to dominate. And for the first half, that’s exactly what happened. It was calm, controlled, and clinical. The second half? Not quite the same, but the Lilywhites got the job done.

Ange Postecoglou surprisingly made only three changes to the side that started against Chelsea, with Ben Davies, Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson coming in for Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and WOdobert. The main talking point, however, was Mathys Tel being benched again – only Ange knows why. Spurs fans, however, weren’t too pleased.

First half: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Southampton

From the first whistle, Spurs were on the front foot and pinned Southampton deep inside their own half. For the opening ten minutes, the visitors barely touched the ball, let alone crossed halfway.

Cristian Romero nearly broke the deadlock with a thunderous header from a corner. But Aaron Ramsdale managed to keep it out.

Lucas Bergvall also came very close, but the ball got stuck under his feet and the shot lacked the power to trouble Ramsdale.

Eventually, the breakthrough came in the 13th minute. Djed Spence bombed forward, overlapping Son Heung-min before cutting the ball back perfectly for Brennan Johnson, who coolly finished the move. A well-worked goal and a deserved lead.

Romero nearly got his goal again shortly after from a free-kick delivery. However, Ramsdale was once again, alert to the danger.

Just past the half-hour mark, Spurs thought they had doubled their lead. Porro whipped in a superb free-kick, Romero headed it back across goal and Bergvall tapped it in. But after a painfully long VAR check, the goal was ruled out after Romero was deemed offside.

But there was no denying Johnson his brace. With three minutes left in the half, a slick move saw a looping cross brought down by Maddison, and the Welshman was on hand to delicately put it past Ramsdale with the outside of his boot. 2-0.

Spence, then once again, went on a surging run down the left, but instead of squaring for Son, he went for glory. Ramsdale made the save, but it could’ve easily been three.

At the break, it felt inevitable. Southampton had managed just one shot on target, 0.62 xG to Spurs’ 1.22, and had been pressed into submission. A third relegation for the Saints loomed large.

Second half: Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Southampton

Credit where it’s due. Southampton came out fighting after the interval, perhaps spurred on by the realisation they were 45 minutes away from the drop.

The Saints pressed higher, passed quicker, and began to win duels in midfield. Sulemana, in particular, troubled both Johnson and Porro down the right flank. Fortunately, Romero and Bentancur intercepted his cutbacks on time.

Maddison played a beautiful long ball to release Son down the left, but the South Korean’s effort lacked conviction and was blocked by Jan Bednarek.

Southampton’s best chances fell to Solanke, who had a night to forget. Time and again he chose the wrong option – shooting from impossible angles instead of squaring it and when he did shoot, his efforts were either blocked, saved, or way off target. He still managed to give the Southampton’s defence a busy time.

Just as the Saints’ intensity dipped, they suddenly struck. In the 90th minute, Sulemana clipped the ball ball to the back post where Mateus Fernandes chested it down and smashed it through Vicario’s legs. 2-1 and Spurs had invited pressure they didn’t need.

The pressure was now on Spurs suddenly. Brennan Johnson was in again and looked certain to complete his hat-trick until he was brought down inside the box. Penalty to Spurs.

Johnson wanted it. He earned it. He asked for it, quite clearly signalling ‘three’ with his fingers. But Mathys Tel took the ball and wouldn’t give it back. The fan in me was fuming – Johnson deserved that moment.

Still, Tel stepped up, stuttered, and restored the two-goal cushion. A goal’s a goal, and perhaps the confidence boost for Tel will serve Spurs well in Europe.

What’s next for Spurs?

So there we have it — three goals, three points, and Southampton officially relegated. The 3-1 win lifts Spurs up to 14th, with a chance to climb to 13th if Manchester United fall short against Manchester City.

This wasn’t a win to shout about from the rooftops though. Beating the worst side in the league doesn’t signal a revolution, but it was a much-needed result after back-to-back blanks.

More importantly, there were no fresh injury concerns. All eyes now turn to the Europa League quarterfinals against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday.

COYS.

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