Conte angered by Porro and Davies, Perisic relief – 5 things spotted in Southampton vs Tottenham

Here are five things we spotted in Tottenham’s 3-3 Premier League draw against Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday afternoon

Richarlison nightmare

Following such an impressive showing last time out against Nottingham Forest, Richarlison went into the game in confident mood and looking to net his first Premier League goal for Tottenham. He was only on the St Mary’s pitch for a matter of minutes, however, as his outing came to an abrupt end.

With barely two minutes on the clock, the Brazilian had his shirt over his head and started walking towards the dugout as he knew his game was over. He was absolutely gutted as he made his way off and was in tears.

Consoled by fellow attackers Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, Richarlison walked past Antonio Conte to head down the tunnel before turning back after the head coach had called him. Having had a moment with the Italian, presumably to discuss the problem that had forced him off, he finally headed into the changing rooms.

Conte fumes at Davies and Porro

There was one point midway through the first half where Tottenham had Pedro Porro operating at left wing-back and Ben Davies on the opposite flank after defending a corner. With the ball not going out of play for a good few minutes, the players carried on in unnatural roles as they waited for a break in play to swap.

The pair were involved in the resulting Tottenham attack as the ball was worked over to Porro, who blazed over from just inside the area after Son had picked him out. It was in fact the Spaniard’s second chance of the first half as he hit an earlier shot over after Dejan Kulusevski had teed him up.

Porro rewarded

Pushing on regularly and finding himself in some excellent positions in the final third in the first 45 minutes, it seemed only a matter of time before Porro opened his Tottenham account. His maiden Spurs strike duly arrived in first-half stoppage time after he crashed the ball home past Saints stopper Gavin Bazunu.

Registering three goals and 11 assists for Sporting CP this season, goal involvements were always going to come Porro’s way at Tottenham and he has showcased just what he can bring to the attack in the past two games. Hopefully a lot more are to come in a Spurs shirt.

Perisic’s relief

Porro wasn’t the only player to net his first Tottenham goal in the game at St Mary’s as Ivan Perisic finally opened his Tottenham account. Regularly hitting double figures during his time in Italy with Inter Milan, the Croat was seen as someone who could help add to Spurs’ threat in the final third due to the big numbers he has posted in the past.

It hasn’t quite turned out like that, however. Whereas assists have come his way after notching nine since his move to north London, he had failed to find the net prior to the trip to the south coast.

It was certainly something that had been playing on his mind if his reaction to his strike was anything to go by. Finishing in style from outside the box after volleying into the ground and giving Bazunu no chance as the ball nestled in the corner, the veteran player was quickly joined by the rest of his teammates to celebrate his goal.

The relief on his face said it all as he ended his Tottenham goal drought. Still some way off the numbers he regularly chipped in with for Inter, he will be hoping his goal at St Mary’s is the start of a few more to come his way in the run-in.

Opportunity missed

Tottenham went into the game at St Mary’s knowing that three points would see them go into the international break third in the Premier League table. With Manchester United in FA Cup action this weekend as opposed to league football, it was an opportunity they couldn’t afford to pass up.

Unfortunately it was one they failed to take. Having seen their first-half lead cut out by Che Adams’ equaliser before taking a 3-1 lead with 16 minutes left, Saints scored twice late on to ensure they gained a valuable point in their battle to stay up. For Spurs, those two dropped points could prove crucial when it comes to the top-four race come the final day.

Now one point behind Manchester United and two ahead of Newcastle, both of their rivals have two games in hand. The draw at St Mary’s could really make the difference come the end of the season.