Tottenham returned to action just 48 hours after their convincing 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, this time taking on Southampton in the final round of fixtures for 2021. With Arsenal's clash with Wolves being postponed, this was the perfect opportunity for Spurs to gain ground on their north London rivals in the heated top-four race.
Unfortunately, Harry Kane and Co. were not able to capitalize on this situation, proving that points on the table always trump games in hand.
Things did not get off to a great start for Spurs. After only 25 minutes, the Premier League giants found themselves trailing 1-0 courtesy of a goal from the always-reliable James Ward-Prowse. However, shortly before half time, things flipped in Tottenham's favor, with Southampton's Mohammed Salisu getting sent off after conceding a penalty, which Kane easily converted to pull his side level.
Despite this one-man advantage, Tottenham were unable to come away with the win, instead sharing the points with the Saints in a one-one draw. However, the north London heavyweights came out of this game frustrated, and not only due to the score line, as two of their goals were overturned, sparking controversy.
One was an incident between Doherty and the Southampton keeper, with the English wing-back making contact with Fraser only for the shot-stopper to drop the ball and accidently hit it into his own net. The goal was ruled out as the referee deemed this a foul on the keeper, but many argued that there was not enough contact to merit this decision.
The other was another controversial offside decision, with Harry Kane's goal being overruled by VAR by the slightest of margins. This moment sparked the biggest anger. Watch former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher go over the two incidents in the clip below (geo-restrictions apply).
— SuperSport (@SuperSportTV) December 28, 2021
Dermot Gallagher looks at the awarding of Salisu's red card and Spurs' disallowed goals, which could've swayed the match result pic.twitter.com/0YWx9Oa9Lq
"Have you ever seen @HKane score a goal with his armpit...?"@richardajkeys & Andy Gray are in absolute disbelief that Harry Kane's goal was ruled out!#beINPL #SOUTOT #Spurs pic.twitter.com/6oQHhOBX5C
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) December 28, 2021
Nonetheless, this result saw Antonio Conte make history with his new club. The Italian tactician became the first Spurs manager in history to go unbeaten in his first seven league games in charge, having recorded four wins and three draws.
Everton (D)
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 28, 2021
Leeds (W)
Brentford (W)
Norwich (W)
Liverpool (D)
Crystal Palace (W)
Southampton (D)
Antonio Conte becomes the first Spurs manager to go undefeated in his first seven league games pic.twitter.com/uzFpfsC7Ys