There are only three certainties in life. Death. Taxes. Southampton throwing away a lead.
On a sunny afternoon at St Mary’s, there was a stark contrast between the free flowing, inventive Southampton team, which played Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham off the park in the opening period versus the abysmal efforts of the second half, characterised by a lacklustre defence displaying schoolboy levels of defending.
True to form, Saints undermined an outstanding first 45 minutes of football by playing a kamikaze high line after the break. Unsurprisingly, their opponents gleefully exploited the space and luck which befell them in the second half. Whilst the match ended 5-2 in favour of the North London club, there were moments where double figures looked a possibility.
To Spurs’ credit, Son and Kane were exemplary throughout the game, with the former hitting four past a tentative Alex McCarthy, whilst the latter managed four assists and a goal for his troubles. The home side’s marauding attacking play of the first half rapidly became a distant memory as Son scored in quick succession either side of the interval.
Although Ings managed a brace in reply, Hasenhuttl did little to hide his anger and frustration at the full time whistle. There were moments reminiscent of the result at home to Leicester last season; the capitulation was evident for all to see as heads dropped and by the end, only Ings seemed to be present in the defence.
With new signings imperative if Saints are to avoid another relegation battle, there is still plenty of time to arrest this slide. As fitness comes, one senses the performances will come too but until the dangerous high line is ditched in favour of the more moderate line seen after the restart, Saints will remain prone to counter attacking football.
Here are the ratings after the defeat: