Spurs 3:2 Southampton – Spurs fight back from 1-2 down in FA Cup

Spurs 3-2 Southampton - Spurs fight back from 1-2 down in FA Cup1
Spurs 3-2 Southampton - Spurs fight back from 1-2 down in FA Cup1

Spurs edged past Southampton in an entertaining FA Cup fourth-round replay match to meet Norwich City in the next round.

Spurs – Quest for Silverware

Jose Mourinho joined Spurs as manager in their quest to secure a silverware, which eluded them for years. The FA Cup is Tottenham’s best chance this season of winning, since 2008 – as they went out of the Carabao Cup, sit fifth in the Premier League, and face a tricky Champions League ’round of 16′ tie against RB Leipzig which is currently at second spot in Bundesliga.

Jose Mourinho fielded his best possible eleven for the match. The players, he omitted, were his compulsion not his choice. Spurs played, without the injured Giovani lo Celso and Erik Lamela and the ineligible Steven Bergwijn. Dele Alli was also did not start as he had picked up a knock during last Sunday’s 2-0 league win over Manchester City.

Spurs vs Southampton – Goals

Spurs went ahead when Tanguy Ndombele’s shot deflected in off visiting defender Jack Stephens before Shane Long made it 1-1 after Nathan Redmond’s effort had been parried by Hugo Lloris.

Danny Ings curled a shot past Lloris to put the Saints ahead, but Lucas Moura equalised with a strike from 18 yards. Spurs won the tie when Son Heung-min converted an 87th-minute penalty. He had been fouled by Southampton goalkeeper Angus Gunn after an excellent pass from substitute Dele Alli had created the opportunity.

For the Saints, midfielder James Ward-Prowse was carried off on a stretcher in the first half with a knee injury.

Mourinho would not have been pleased with Lloris as he could only parry the ball into Long’s path for him to equalise from eight yards out. But the French goalkeeper made amends in the second half with an excellent reflex stop to turn Jannik Vestergaard’s close-range header over the bar as both sides pushed for a winner.

Spurs will host Norwich, the bottom of the Premier League, in round five in a midweek match to be played on 3, 4 or 5 March.