Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side were very close to open the scoring for the hosts as Nathan Redon showed his extreme capability of controlling the ball in the six-yard of Spurs. However, Paulo Gazzaniga pulled off a save to keep the scoreboard unchanged. However, the happiness didn’t remain for too long as Danny Ings flicked the ball over Spurs’ defender Toby Alderweirald and finished it past the Spurs’ current No.1 for Danny Ings’ 13th league goal of the season.
On the other hand, Spurs’s tough time started with an injury to their midfielder Tanguy Ndombele. Growing confidently after their first goal, Southampton started to press high. High pressing almost gave the rewards until Redmond’s shot was deflected by Toby Alderweirald.
After the few moments, Spurs had an excellent opportunity to bring the Lillywhites back into the game. At the stroke of half time, the Belgian international failed to find the back of the net despite finding himself free at the post.
Southampton were not awarded a penalty after the ball was handled by the Belgian international in their own box. Southampton were left ruing for the opportunities. Also, VAR had its final say on the game when Harry Kane was ruled offside in the 72nd minute after he found the back of the net in front of the away crowd.
The matter became much worse when the English striker, Harry Kane, injured himself and was forced off due to hamstring. Also, the Special One was awarded a yellow card when he confronted the Southampton coaching staff.
In the post-match presentation, Mourinho opined;
“I think [my] yellow card was fair as I was rude, but I was rude to an idiot.”
Jose Mourinho also gave the updates regarding Harry Kane and Tanguy Ndombele;
“[Kane’s] is negative, the hamstring is always negative. Is it a tear, is it a small thing, is it a contraction? At this moment I cannot say.
“[Ndombele] is always injured. He’s injured, he’s not injured, he plays one match. This is since the beginning of the season.”
Mourinho was also frustrated with VAR’s involvement in the game and said he believed his side should have been awarded a penalty.
“For me, at this moment, the referees are not the referees,” he said. “VAR should be called video referees. Our [disallowed] goal I also don’t know, but I confess that I didn’t watch it yet. What I know is that the Dele Alli penalty was a penalty.”
The defeat saw Spurs remain on 30 points, six behind fourth-placed Chelsea. It also meant the club’s wait for a clean sheet away in the Premier League extended to exactly one year.
