With pressure mounting on Ange Postecoglou, the Tottenham Hotspur head coach will have been relieved with three points over Southampton, a result that relegated the visiting side.
There was a risk that facing the Premier League’s bottom side, who have only 10 points this season, could have caused an embarrassing afternoon for Spurs, as Leicester City did when they won here in January. And while two goals from Brennan Johnson and a first Premier League goal for Mathys Tel sealed victory, conceding late and struggling to kill the game off in the second half will have done little to appease those disappointed with Postecoglou’s side.
Advertisement
There was a pre-match protest outside the ground against the ownership, as well as chants within the stadium, as anger at how the club is run continues. Following the defeat to Chelsea and this victory, Spurs can now plan for Frankfurt in the Europa League quarter-final first leg on Thursday with Lucas Bergvall and Johnson performing well.
Here, Elias Burke and George Caulkin break down the action from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
How did Spurs fans react to Levy and Postecoglou?
Tottenham remains a club at unease with itself.
Barely 20 seconds had passed before the South Stand began a chant of “We want (Daniel) Levy out.” Not for the first time this season, there had been a demonstration by hundreds of supporters down the Seven Sisters Road where a banner was held up which read “Built a business, killed a football club.” It was also displayed inside the stadium before kick-off and again at half-time.
With Postecoglou denying suggestions he had goaded fans who had sung “You don’t know what you’re doing,” at him during Thursday’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea – he had cupped an ear with his hand – the feeling remains that Spurs are teetering on a precipice. Whether the topple or pull back will probably be determined by their Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Fans protest before the game (Credit: The Athletic)
In that context, victory over Southampton – who have won a single game in the Premier League since early November – proved very little. Against hapless opponents, whose relegation was confirmed, they were far too strong, but at least it provides them with some precious momentum.
No dissent was aimed at Postecoglou and there was none in return. Why would there be? When the first goal went in, the head coach called over James Maddison to give him instructions. The second brought smiles and high fives with his coaching staff.
(Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
George Caulkin
A five-minute VAR check?
Bergvall thought he had scored his first Premier League goal in the first half… before VAR intervened.
Not that Postecoglou needed any more convincing that VAR is negatively affecting the flow of football matches, but a five-minute and 25-second wait, according to Opta, between Bergvall volleying into the back of the net and referee Michael Salisbury restarting the game won’t help in easing his frustration.
Advertisement
During the wait, Postecoglou strolled around his technical area and signalled to his coaching staff, making fun of the delay. While Spurs and Southampton fans collaborated in a rendition of “f*** VAR” and boos rang around the stadium, the 59-year-old shrugged his shoulders and pretended to play rock, paper, scissors, suggesting a randomness to the procedure.
Postecoglou spoke against VAR in the post-match conference after the Chelsea defeat, where that night’s video assistant referee, Jarred Gillet recommended referee Craig Pawson check the pitchside monitor before disallowing Pape Matar Sarr’s second-half goal after a lengthy check.
In this case, the goal was chalked off as Romero was found to be offside before heading the ball down to Bergvall in the box.
(Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Elias Burke
What did Spurs learn before Frankfurt tie?
As European quarter-final tune-ups go, this was about as straightforward as it gets for Tottenham.
Postecoglou made three changes from the side that were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea last Thursday, with building momentum for the season-defining tie against Frankfurt a key consideration. Johnson, who came in for Wilson Odobert, has struggled to make an impact since scoring twice against Ipswich Town in February but made a strong case for selection on Thursday. He scored his 10th and 11th league goals of the season in the first half, the first after a sweeping “Ange-ball” style passage started by an incisive pass from Cristian Romero.
Postecoglou will also be encouraged by the performance of Bergvall, who was taken off at the hour mark against Chelsea, with the head coach citing a lack of physicality after leaving international duty early with illness.
Bergvall impressed against Southampton (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Against Southampton, the Swede was dominant, driving through the midfield and reacting quickly to loose balls.
While Southampton offered little resistance, there was a creativity in midfield that has often been absent in recent weeks. James Maddison, who was poor in the first leg against AZ before propelling Spurs to victory with a goal in the second, was instrumental in both goals today.
Advertisement
It’s unlikely Frankfurt will roll over as easily, but if a lack of confidence was an issue ahead of that match, this should at least be a welcome boost on that front.
Elias Burke
What did Postecoglou say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for Spurs?
Thursday, April 10: Eintracht Frankfurt (Home), Europa League quarter-final first leg, 8pm UK, 3pm ET
Recommended reading
(Top photo: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
7ª rodada do Brasileirão Feminino tem Ferroviária e Cruzeiro empatados na liderança e empates nos clássicos
Resumo da 7ª rodada do Brasileirão Feminino (Reprodução/Flickr/CBF) A 7ª rodada do Brasileirão Feminino foi cheio de emoções, tendo oito partidas com muitos gols e reviravoltas. Enquanto que a parte de cima da tabela teve mudanças, a zona de rebaixamento continua sem ter alterações. Entre os principais destaques, está a vitória da Ferroviária, que venceu um adversário direto na parte de cima da tabela, o Palmeiras, fora de casa. Além disso, tivemos a grande vitória do Bahia, entrou no G8 e promete brigar por uma vaga na próxima fase da competição. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Veja como foram os jogos da 7ª rodada do Brasileirão Feminino Cruzeiro 2 x 1 Bragantino Jogando em casa, o Cruzeiro enfrentou o Red Bull Bragantino em busca de permanecer na liderança da competição. Com gols de Stella contra e Leticia Ferreira, a raposa venceu as bragantinas […]
Astros’ Jose Altuve asks to move out of leadoff spot for more time to prepare after playing left field
For the first time in nearly two years, Jose Altuve did not bat in the leadoff spot when the Houston Astros played the Detroit Tigers on Monday.The 15-year veteran requested the change, according to Astros manager Joe Espada. And he did so because of his move to left field this season."I just told Joe that maybe he can hit me second some games at some point and he did it today,” Altuve explained, via the Associated Press. “I just need like that little extra time to come from left field, and he decided to put Jeremy [Peña] there.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPeña, Houston's shortstop, has the second-best on-base percentage on the team at .327. Only third baseman Isaac Paredes, who bats fourth, is better at .342. Altuve's OBP is .310, down from his career mark of .362.“I just need like 10 more seconds,” Altuve […]
NBA playoffs takeaways: Cavs sweep Heat, handing Miami another record defeat
On Saturday, the Miami Heat experienced their worst-ever loss in the postseason, dropping Game 3 to the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-87. It only took two days to beat that record. The Heat lost 138-83 to the Cavaliers in Miami on Monday night, as Cleveland completed a 4-0 sweep to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.AdvertisementCleveland took hold of the game from the outset and never let go, leading Miami 72-31 at halftime. To further put that final score in perspective, the Cavaliers shot 54.7 percent from the field compared to the Heat’s 36 percent.Miami played Monday’s game without Kevin Love, whose father, former NBA player Stan Love, died this week at 76.The Cavaliers will play the winner of the series between Indiana and Milwaukee, which the Pacers lead 3-1.Cavaliers 138, Heat 83(Cavaliers win series 4-0)Cleveland dominates without Darius GarlandAt one point, […]
Cavs sweep Heat and complete the most lopsided series in NBA playoff history
<!--> Cleveland left no doubt on its way to Round 2 — and finished off the most lopsided series in NBA playoff history.Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points, De’Andre Hunter added 19 and the Cavaliers rolled past the Miami Heat 138-83 on Monday night to sweep their Eastern Conference first-round series in four games.Ty Jerome had 18 points, Evan Mobley added 17 and Jarrett Allen had 14 points, 12 rebounds and six steals for the Cavaliers — who led by as many as 60 points.Cleveland won the four games by a combined 122 points. The previous record: a 121-point combined win by Denver over New Orleans in 2009.ADVERTISEMENT -->The 55-point margin in Game 4 was the fourth-biggest playoff win ever. The record for biggest playoff win is 58 points, done twice: Minneapolis over St. Louis in 1956 and Denver over New […]
2025 NBA playoff bracket: First-round matchups, schedule, game times as Cavaliers join Thunder in second round
Keytron Jordan, CBS Sports The 2025 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and the Cleveland Cavaliers joined the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round on Monday night. The Cavs finished off a sweep of the Miami Heat in Game 4, matching their top-seeded West counterpart after OKC swept the Memphis Grizzlies. To close out Monday's schedule, the Golden State Warriors have a chance to take a commanding series lead against the Houston Rockets.Four teams went up 3-1 in their series on Sunday: the Knicks, Timberwolves, Celtics and Pacers were all Game 4 winners, respectively putting the Pistons, Lakers, Magic and Bucks on the brink of elimination.The only series that is tied entering Monday's action is Clippers vs. Nuggets as the two teams have split the first four games of an evenly matched series in the West. The winner of that […]
Heat Culture is finally starting to show cracks, so what’s next for Miami after getting swept by the Cavs?
Getty Images The San Antonio Spurs were the picture of NBA stability for the better part of 20 years. Then Tim Duncan retired. Within two years, LaMarcus Aldridge had attempted to force a trade and Kawhi Leonard actually succeeded in doing so. The Spurs are only now emerging from the mediocrity that followed, and the biggest reason they've done so is not some internal recalibration, but a few lucky ping pong balls on lottery night. NBA team cultures are fickle. The league changes quickly. If you're standing still, you're probably moving backward.Which brings us to the Miami Heat, a team so confident in its culture that in 2023 it literally started wearing a jersey with the words "Heat Culture" embroidered on the chest. For three decades or so, Heat Culture was nearly impenetrable. The Pat Riley era has included more […]
Related
7ª rodada do Brasileirão Feminino tem Ferroviária e Cruzeiro empatados na liderança e empates nos clássicos
Resumo da 7ª rodada do Brasileirão Feminino (Reprodução/Flickr/CBF) A 7ª rodada do Brasileirão Feminino foi cheio de emoções, tendo oito partidas com muitos gols e reviravoltas. Enquanto que a parte de cima da tabela teve mudanças, a zona de rebaixamento continua sem ter alterações. Entre os principais destaques, está a vitória da Ferroviária, que venceu um adversário direto na parte de cima da tabela, o Palmeiras, fora de casa. Além disso, tivemos a grande vitória do Bahia, entrou no G8 e promete brigar por uma vaga na próxima fase da competição. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Veja como foram os jogos da 7ª rodada do Brasileirão Feminino Cruzeiro 2 x 1 Bragantino Jogando em casa, o Cruzeiro enfrentou o Red Bull Bragantino em busca de permanecer na liderança da competição. Com gols de Stella contra e Leticia Ferreira, a raposa venceu as bragantinas […]
Astros’ Jose Altuve asks to move out of leadoff spot for more time to prepare after playing left field
For the first time in nearly two years, Jose Altuve did not bat in the leadoff spot when the Houston Astros played the Detroit Tigers on Monday.The 15-year veteran requested the change, according to Astros manager Joe Espada. And he did so because of his move to left field this season."I just told Joe that maybe he can hit me second some games at some point and he did it today,” Altuve explained, via the Associated Press. “I just need like that little extra time to come from left field, and he decided to put Jeremy [Peña] there.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPeña, Houston's shortstop, has the second-best on-base percentage on the team at .327. Only third baseman Isaac Paredes, who bats fourth, is better at .342. Altuve's OBP is .310, down from his career mark of .362.“I just need like 10 more seconds,” Altuve […]
NBA playoffs takeaways: Cavs sweep Heat, handing Miami another record defeat
On Saturday, the Miami Heat experienced their worst-ever loss in the postseason, dropping Game 3 to the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-87. It only took two days to beat that record. The Heat lost 138-83 to the Cavaliers in Miami on Monday night, as Cleveland completed a 4-0 sweep to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.AdvertisementCleveland took hold of the game from the outset and never let go, leading Miami 72-31 at halftime. To further put that final score in perspective, the Cavaliers shot 54.7 percent from the field compared to the Heat’s 36 percent.Miami played Monday’s game without Kevin Love, whose father, former NBA player Stan Love, died this week at 76.The Cavaliers will play the winner of the series between Indiana and Milwaukee, which the Pacers lead 3-1.Cavaliers 138, Heat 83(Cavaliers win series 4-0)Cleveland dominates without Darius GarlandAt one point, […]
Cavs sweep Heat and complete the most lopsided series in NBA playoff history
<!--> Cleveland left no doubt on its way to Round 2 — and finished off the most lopsided series in NBA playoff history.Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points, De’Andre Hunter added 19 and the Cavaliers rolled past the Miami Heat 138-83 on Monday night to sweep their Eastern Conference first-round series in four games.Ty Jerome had 18 points, Evan Mobley added 17 and Jarrett Allen had 14 points, 12 rebounds and six steals for the Cavaliers — who led by as many as 60 points.Cleveland won the four games by a combined 122 points. The previous record: a 121-point combined win by Denver over New Orleans in 2009.ADVERTISEMENT -->The 55-point margin in Game 4 was the fourth-biggest playoff win ever. The record for biggest playoff win is 58 points, done twice: Minneapolis over St. Louis in 1956 and Denver over New […]
2025 NBA playoff bracket: First-round matchups, schedule, game times as Cavaliers join Thunder in second round
Keytron Jordan, CBS Sports The 2025 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and the Cleveland Cavaliers joined the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round on Monday night. The Cavs finished off a sweep of the Miami Heat in Game 4, matching their top-seeded West counterpart after OKC swept the Memphis Grizzlies. To close out Monday's schedule, the Golden State Warriors have a chance to take a commanding series lead against the Houston Rockets.Four teams went up 3-1 in their series on Sunday: the Knicks, Timberwolves, Celtics and Pacers were all Game 4 winners, respectively putting the Pistons, Lakers, Magic and Bucks on the brink of elimination.The only series that is tied entering Monday's action is Clippers vs. Nuggets as the two teams have split the first four games of an evenly matched series in the West. The winner of that […]
Heat Culture is finally starting to show cracks, so what’s next for Miami after getting swept by the Cavs?
Getty Images The San Antonio Spurs were the picture of NBA stability for the better part of 20 years. Then Tim Duncan retired. Within two years, LaMarcus Aldridge had attempted to force a trade and Kawhi Leonard actually succeeded in doing so. The Spurs are only now emerging from the mediocrity that followed, and the biggest reason they've done so is not some internal recalibration, but a few lucky ping pong balls on lottery night. NBA team cultures are fickle. The league changes quickly. If you're standing still, you're probably moving backward.Which brings us to the Miami Heat, a team so confident in its culture that in 2023 it literally started wearing a jersey with the words "Heat Culture" embroidered on the chest. For three decades or so, Heat Culture was nearly impenetrable. The Pat Riley era has included more […]
Be the first to leave a comment