Spurred on by injustice and indignation, Southampton launched a resounding late fightback to snatch victory and leave Tottenham Hotspur’s top-four hopes sodden and deflated. As the full-time whistle blew, Ralph Hasenhuttl sank to his knees in the dugout and roared into the rain with the sort of fervour that had matched his side’s courage. Twice they had trailed Tottenham only to rally spectacularly as Armando Broja cancelled out Jan Bednarek’s own goal before Mohamed Elyounoussi and Che Adams scored near-identical headers within the space of three frantic minutes to seal a 3-2 victory in north London.
It was Spurs’ second that had caused such controversy and ultimately served to ignite Southampton’s fury. What appeared a clear foul in the build-up had left Broja crumpled on the halfway line with a head injury, but play was allowed to continue and Son Heung-min thought he had snatched all three points for Spurs. Antonio Conte became so incensed by Southampton’s protests that he had to be restrained by his assistants but by full-time the Italian’s face was bleak and almost disbelieving. Presented with a great chance to gain a foothold in the top-four race, this defeat will stain long after the clothes have dried, but perhaps that was fitting on a night when Spurs defended within themselves and Southampton played out of their skin.
