Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur secured their progress into the fifth round of this season’s edition of the FA Cup after the Lilywhites overcame their replay against Southampton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium by a 3-2 scoreline. The Saints were the better team for most of the tie, but a rapid turnaround in the second half made for interesting viewing. A Jack Stephens own-goal was followed by a decent strike by Lucas Moura, while their third came through a Son penalty. Jose Mourinho’s substitutions certainly had a visible impact on the tie, and the introduction of Dele Alli and Gedson Fernandes have to be seen as master-strokes concerning this fixture.
Here are the Tottenham Hotspur players rated in their win over Southampton.
Hugo Lloris – 7
Showed good concentration in the early stages and he made a couple of vital stops in the second half. Made a save in the lead-up to the Southampton opener, but couldn’t stop the rebound.
Japhet Tanganga – 6.5
The youngster was operating out of an unfamiliar role to start with but did well throughout the fixture. Had to put in a lot of work at the back and was beaten too easily for the second Saints goal.
Toby Alderweireld – 6.5
The Belgian stalwart held his position well and won the aerial balls ahead of the Southampton attackers. Was given a torrid run-around by the tireless Nathan Redmond though.
Jan Vertonghen – 6
The veteran centre-half was substituted in the second half for Gedson Fernandes as Jose Mourinho looked for a winner. Was a given a tough time by the Saints.
Serge Aurier – 6
The pacy full-back showed his defensive fragility on multiple occasions on the night and wasn’t able to create too much going forward either. Held his position well in the late stages of the game.
Tanguy Ndombele – 6.5
The midfielder did well to move the ball around when Spurs had possession but was extremely careless on the ball. Fortunate that his strike took a deflection for the Tottenham opener as well.
Eric Dier – 6
The Englishman was the first midfielder in front of the Spurs back-line, and he provided the defence with an extra man whenever Southampton attacked with pace.
Harry Winks – 6.5
The youngster showed signs of maturity with the passes and movements he displayed throughout the night but struggled to make too much of an attacking contribution.
Ryan Sessegnon – 6.5
The youngster had a decent first half but made the rash tackle that forced James Ward-Prowse off with an injury. Tried to get forward at times but was forced to do a lot of defending.
Lucas Moura – 7
The Brazilian speedster struggled to come into the fixture in the first half but did a much better job in the second period. Made a smart run and took his goal with confidence.
Heung-Min Son – 7.5
The versatile South Korean was part of a Spurs front-two on the night, in a game where not much seemed to be going his way. Played some neat passes and took his penalty sharply too.
Substitutes
Gedson Fernandes – 7
The youngster played some good passes in the middle of the park and added some much-needed fluency as well. Promises to be an excellent prospect for the future at Tottenham.
Dele Alli – 7.5
The English international attacking-midfielder came on and had an immediate impact in the final third. Linked up play superbly and did well to bring the rest of the Spurs forwards into the game.
Davinson Sanchez – NA
Didn’t have time to make an impact.
