[Player Ratings] Southampton 1-2 Tottenham: How The Spurs Players Rated

Spurs relied on a controlled first half performance – with goals from Gareth Bale and Clint Dempsey – and some resilient defending in the second period to make it three away wins out of four in the league so far this season. Southampton became more and more of a threat throughout the game but couldn’t quite break Tottenham’s resolve, despite pulling a goal back through Jay Rodriguez.

Here are the Spurs player ratings.

Friedel, 6 – Didn’t have much to do at all thanks to his centre-backs. Came for the ball and missed it in the build up to the goal, but made a great save before Rodriguez netted the rebound.

Walker, 6 – Impressed going forward, linking well with Lennon on more than one occasion. Unfortunately seems to be mirroring Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s habit of trying to keep the ball when it needs to be cleared. Caught out at the back a couple of times but to no avail.

Gallas, 7 – The Frenchman had clearly learnt from his errors last weekend. Put in an impressive performance which included a vital block to prevent a Saints equaliser. Still looks unsteady at times but maintained a good level of concentration today.

Caulker, 7 – I said it after the Maribor game and I’ll say it again – Caulker shows class beyond his years every time he plays. It’s hard to believe he’s only 20. Steady and stable over 90 minutes and brought the ball out of defence well. Wasn’t involved as much as Gallas (through no fault of his own).

Vertonghen, 7 – Another competent performance from the Belgian playing out of position. Worked well with Bale going forward but was always ready to defend.

Sandro, 8 – A display summed up by a stunningly brave block with his head from Schneiderlin’s powerful shot on 90 minutes. Sandro must be made of steel. Blocked, tackled and intercepted numerous times, as well as cleaning up loose balls all over the pitch.

Huddlestone, 6 – Provided a delicious chipped cross for Bale to head home, but his passing wasn’t even half as good as it was on Thursday night in Slovenia. Tired rather quickly and was first to be replaced.

Lennon, 8 –  Brilliant wing play from Lennon after some poor decision making early on. Seems to have developed massively as a player under AVB. Comes inside and looks to create chances much more than last season.  Would like to see him beat his man on the outside when he can though.

Dempsey, 7 – His best performance yet for Spurs. Got into some good positions behind Defoe and managed to score his second Tottenham tap-in. Went missing for long periods but was impressive when involved.

Bale, 7 – Fantastic dash into the area to thump a powerful header past Boruc early on. The Welshman put in some dangerous crosses in the opening stages and encouraged Vertonghen to move forward with him to good effect. Went very quiet in the second half.

Defoe, 7 – Missed two or three typical Defoe chances that would usually end up in the back of the net. However, he looked sharp and tried his best to get others involved. Sometimes difficult to see what he brings to the team if he’s not scoring, but he has been playing well in an unfamiliar role recently.

Subs:

Livermore, 4 – Was brought on for Huddlestone with half an hour left in an attempt to reassure the Tottenham midfield. Failed miserably, often giving away possession with poor passes and clumsy challenges. Must improve if he wants to earn a starting place in future.

Sigurdsson, N/A

Dawson, N/A

The sooner Moussa Dembele returns, the better for Tottenham.  The Belgian will bring much needed consistency to Andre Villas-Boas’ side in the middle of the park when he’s back partnering Sandro. After an exhilarating first half display, Spurs couldn’t handle Southampton’s attacking threat and were debatably lucky to hold on for all three points.  However, the fans and AVB will undoubtedly be happy with another Premier League victory away from home.

Do you agree with the ratings above? Use the comment section below to voice your opinions. Alternatively, let me know on Twitter… @SteveJenn93

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