Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways after a rampant first-half performance secured them a 5-0 victory over Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium in what would prove to be Russell Martin’s final match in charge of the Saints.
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0–5
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Spurs scored five goals in the first half of a Premier League match for the first time, with James Maddison setting the tone by netting inside the first minute, a blow the Saints never recovered from.
Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski then added a quickfire double, before Pape Sarr struck in the 25th minute against a struggling Southampton defence.
Maddison compounded the hosts’ misery by bending in a fifth in the final minute of first-half stoppage time, giving Ange Postecoglou’s team a much-needed boost as they ended a five-match winless run in all competitions.
Despite an improved second half, Southampton remain bottom of the Premier League, while Spurs move up to 10th, just five points off the top four.
How the match unfolded
Spurs’ onslaught began after just 36 seconds when Djed Spence, making his first Premier League start for the club, slid in Maddison to slot home an opener.
Maddison played his part in the second too, with his deflected cross setting up Son to crack a left-footed effort underneath Alex McCarthy before Kulusevski tapped in a third two minutes later when the ball ricocheted to him inside the box.
Sarr’s clever footwork then opened up Southampton’s defence for the fourth time as he side-stepped his marker to slot home, with some home fans heading for the exit in response.
Spurs had time for one more goal on the stroke of half-time, Son rolling the ball down the line for Maddison to curl into the top corner from a tight angle.
The visitors took their foot off the gas after the break as Southampton showed some character, but they were denied a late consolation as Mateus Fernandes had strayed into an offside position.
Southampton v Spurs highlights
Sonny breaks records ?
More Madders magic ?
Deki delight ?Highlights: Southampton 0-5 Spurs ? pic.twitter.com/gBLwmWrEw4
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 15, 2024
Unholy night for Saints
Some of the Southampton faithful had already left their seats by the time Spurs eased into their 4-0 lead, reflecting a nightmare evening that was over having barely begun.
As Spurs scored at will, some minds were doubtless even drifting back to October 2019 and February 2021, when the Saints were beaten 9-0 by Leicester City and Manchester United respectively.
If they had not already – Maddison scoring the visitors’ fifth just before half-time – a goal Martin missed having headed back to the dressing room to prepare a difficult team talk – may well have provoked the same sense of doom that defined those previous beatings.
It would indeed prove to be his final team talk, as he was dismissed by Southampton following the conclusion of this match.
While Martin’s side were carved open too easily, they do at least deserve credit for the way heads did not drop during the second period.
Kyle Walker-Peters and Nathan Wood went close, and the home support that had stayed responded, admirably getting behind their side, only being denied a small chance to cheer by the assistant referee’s flag that disallowed Fernandes’ late strike.
This match must quickly be eradicated from Southampton minds, but that spirit must be maintained to give them a chance of recovering from it.
Spurs’ sensational start
Spurs’ early blitz meant this encounter was all but won inside half an hour as Postecoglou’s side tore into their visitors.
While Maddison’s strike got the ball rolling, it was the next three goals that broke the back of the match, with Son scoring in his 100th different Premier League match.
By the time Sarr had danced through Southampton’s defence, the result was no longer in doubt, and any lingering worries Spurs fans may have had about their recent slump in form were long gone as their dominance was rewarded.
That was not the end of the chances, with Son being denied by McCarthy on a couple of occasions before the fifth came just before the half-time whistle.
The pressure on Postecoglou’s shoulders may not be gone just yet, but the white half of north London will certainly feel more confident in their ability again, especially ahead of matches against Man Utd (in the EFL Cup) and Liverpool to come this week.
Match reports
Southampton report | Spurs report
What the managers said
Russell Martin: “I’m hurt at the first half. We just don’t respond very well to setbacks as a group.
“Ultimately, it’s hurt us a lot this season. We concede so early and we have a chance to foul Djed Spence in the middle of the pitch, and we don’t. Then we’re 1-0 down, and then the response after that is incredibly poor. So very disappointing.”
Ange Postecoglou: “We had to start strong today. We kind of knew we’d probably run out of gas at the end of the game considering the line-up we had out there and coming off Europe on Thursday night, so I think the players sensed that and credit to them that they started the game that way.”
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Key facts
Southampton are the only team in Premier League history to go in at half-time losing by a five-goal deficit on multiple occasions, doing so vs Leicester in October 2019 (0-5) and tonight (0-5).
Overall, Southampton have conceded five goals in the first half of a match on four separate occasions, with no other side doing so more than once.
Spurs were 4-0 up after 24 minutes and 46 seconds, making it the earliest they have ever led by four goals in a Premier League match.
Maddison’s goal after 36 seconds was Spurs’ quickest Premier League goal since Christian Eriksen netted against Man Utd in January 2018 with 11 seconds on the clock.