Saints Marching
Fansided

Southampton 1-1 Tottenham: FA Cup – Saints Player Ratings

By Erik Franzo

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 25: Sofiane Boufal of Southampton runs from Dele Alli and Harry Winks of Tottenham Hotspur during the FA Cup Fourth Round match between Southampton FC and Tottenham Hotspur at St. Mary's Stadium on January 25, 2020 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 25: Sofiane Boufal of Southampton runs from Dele Alli and Harry Winks of Tottenham Hotspur during the FA Cup Fourth Round match between Southampton FC and Tottenham Hotspur at St. Mary's Stadium on January 25, 2020 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 25: Danny Ings of Southampton is put under pressure by Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur during the FA Cup Fourth Round match between Southampton FC and Tottenham Hotspur at St. Mary’s Stadium on January 25, 2020 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 25: Danny Ings of Southampton is put under pressure by Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur during the FA Cup Fourth Round match between Southampton FC and Tottenham Hotspur at St. Mary’s Stadium on January 25, 2020 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

Southampton are headed to a fourth round FA Cup replay after drawing with Tottenham 1-1 at St. Mary’s.

Ralph Hasenhuttl decided to put forth a strong Saints side with Cedric and Shane Long injured.  Jannik Vestergaard was also out via concussion, but Jan Bednarek returned in time after a knock to his achilles.  Angus Gunn was in net and Kevin Danso received the nod at an unnatural right back position, but maybe the surprise was seeing Michael Obafemi at striker.  Danny Ings was always going to return, but was this not the perfect place for Che Adams?  Hopefully there is nothing to the reported 4th offer from Leeds United for the Southampton striker.

VAR was again at the focal point of a Southampton match.  Its first inclusion disallowing a Spurs’ goal after a Giovani Lo Celso shot deflected off of Son Heung-min before hitting the back of the net.  Son’s second half goal was checked by referee Peter Bankes for offside, which he was clearly on, but more speculation needed to take place as Dele Alli bundled over Kevin Danso taking him out of the play as the closest defender.  The goal was upheld, giving Tottenham a 1-0 lead.

Late in the second half Danny Ings cut a ball back inside the Spurs’ six yard box which was clearly handled by defender Japhet Tanganga.  However, the VAR team lead by Jonathan Moss decided to not to take a look at the offense.  This was just one piece of a disappointing day for Ings as he had three or four good chances to score.  His best opportunity coming as Nathan Redmond found him all alone from 8 yards out, but the in-form striker managed to power his header wide.

Sofiane Boufal entered the game as a tactical switch replacing Kevin Danso as the Saints chased the game.  The Moroccan demanded the ball from the moment he walked on the pitch and was able to contribute with a game-tying goal.  His celebration hinted at disappointment for not being selected to the starting eleven, but he provided a valuable contribution to the club nonetheless.

Southampton will get a replay at Tottenham which may suit the team’s success away from home.  They may have deserved to win this game, controlling 60% of possession, and leading corners seven to two.  Although, Saints’ fans might not be disappointed by an away trip to London with a chance to knock out a big six team and earn another shot at Portsmouth.

Here are the player ratings for the Saints from the FA Cup fourth round match.