Southampton 0-5 Tottenham: Premier League – as it happened

John Brewin’s report has just landed so I’ll leave you with that.

Thanks for hanging with me. What a weird game. Surely Martin’s last. Big Ange has some breathing room after that thumping win.

Catch you next time.

James Maddison is recognised as the player of the match.

Here’s what he has to say:

A great night. It was an important night for us. You can see big teams struggling throughout the league. So make no mistake how important that victory and performance is. That was a big night for us.

[Spence] is a great lad. I told him before, go and do what you do. He got the ball and wriggled and that run is one I’ve been working on for years. So credit to him.

We can blow any team away in this league. We did it against Man City. That was a proper performance today and I’m proud of the lads.

Boos greet the full-time whistle. Spurs have their first win in five. Southampton are firmly rooted to the bottom of the table, four points behind 19th and nine from safety. A mad first half and a dull second. Will Martin be here tomorrow?

90+2 mins: There’s a sign being held up demanding Russell Martin’s sacking. I reckon they’ll get their wish. Walker-Peters dinks a ball to the far post but Gray beats Fernandes to the ball and it’s safely dealt with.

90 mins: Should be six. Werner’s ball from the left was superb and found Johnson about a few yards out. But rather than tap home he manages to mistime his side-foot and it’s wide.

89 mins: Dibling runs and runs but has no mate in support. He doesn’t shoot but continues to run, all the way to the byline but still has no mates around him. Eventually they come in support and he passes backwards. The attack comes to nothing. Can we call this now?

87 mins: Spurs have their first shot on target in the second half. The short corner is worked to Sarr outside the area in a central position. He takes one touch and then shoots, but straight down the middle of the goal and it’s an easy save.

86 mins: Johnson’s heavy touch takes him wider than he’d have liked so he has to cross rather than shoot. He wins a corner.

Paul Griffin keeps the chat alive:

“Carlo Ancelotti was sacked at halftime with his club, juventus, still in with a chance of winning the league.

”Of course Juve were criticised but future events vindicated them, as Carlo has gone for one year, or even longer, before winning a European Cup, and his current side, Real Madrid have never won a scudetto.”

83 mins: Spurs haven’t had a shot in this second half. Sums up a pretty dull period. C’mon! One more please. Lankshear chases a ball in the box but it’s over cooked and he can’t haul it in.

82 mins: A couple of changes now. Solanke off and Lankshear on for Spurs. Archer replaces Armstrong for Southampton.

80 mins: Fernandes heads the ball into the net but he’s a mile off-side. Good delivery from the right and Saints fans were off their seats. But not to be.

79 mins: Dibling keeps shooting and he’s getting closer. Picks up a loose ball on the edge of the area and whips in a shot with his left outside of the box. It’s wide, but not by much as he went for the top corner.

75 mins: This feels like one of those NBA matches where a team storms to a lead and then – for some strange reason I’ll never understand – agree to take their foot off the gas. Tottenham are barely trying. But that might change as Maddison, on a hat-trick, makes way for Timo Werner. The German will be desperate to prove his worth after some harsh words from his manager. He won’t cruise in second gear. Alfie Dorrington comes on to make his senior debut as well.

73 mins: Tottenham, with Kulusevski, find themselves in the Saints box. But they can’t work the chance. Southampton launch a counter and Dibling, off his left foot from the right of the box, delivers a whipping shot. It’s straight at Forster. The young lad is fighting til the end. He deserves better than this.

Ingo Herzke has delivered a beauty on half-time sackings:

Regarding Pat’s query – there’s a famous example from Germany’s 2nd division, exactly 25 years ago today (Dec. 15 1999). Toni Schumacher was managing Fortuna Cologne, who had a very colourful chairman at the time: Jean Löring. After a spell of bad results they were trailing 0-2 at home to Mannheim at half time, Löring stormed into the dressing room and shouted: “Piss off, you wanker! I never want to see you again.” (That’s how Schumacher told it in his memoir.) To the press afterwards he spoke the immortal words: “As the club, I had to act.” Classic.

69 mins: Chance to swing in a corner for Saints. Fernandes has three centre backs to aim at. It’s an out-swinger that’s cleared but only as far as Ariba who dinks in a tasty looking ball to the far post from the left. Wood-Gordan runs onto it and leaps into the air to side-foot it across goal. Not sure if he was going for goal himself. Perhaps he should have.

68 mins: Spurs have powered down. They’re basically operating in first gear. Can’t see them inflicting a record score here, which is good news for Kári Tulinius:

“Häsenhuttl won’t be alone in turning his attention to this match if Spurs add a couple goals, Ipswich fans will start hoping that Tottenham knock them into joint second in worst defeats.”

Matt Loren with the swift work. Here’s Jol getting sacked at half-time:https://youtu.be/nS8E6Wrz2JA?si=1C87CwrUo7upSU7n

66 mins: Walker-Peters hits the side netting. A rare foray forward has him on the ball on the left (has he switched flanks). A step-over, then another then a low drilled shot towards the near post. But he dragged it just a little too much and I don’t think Forster was worried.

According to Matt Loren, Martin Jol was sacked at half-time by Spurs.

Anyone got the intel on this?

64 mins: All the sting has completely left this match. It’s become rather dull if I’m honest. No bite or menace in any tackle and no zip in any attack. Which I suppose is understandable. Fernandes does well to win the ball in midfield. He finds Dibling in a centre right position and the young lad fires from range. He hits it well but it’s blocked.

Gary Naylor knows exactly what he’s doing here:

“I don’t understand why these clubs, who just don’t have the players for it, insist on playing The Guardiola Way. I mean, what do Southampton, Ipswich and Manchester City expect?”

60 mins: Southampton have a corner. Their fans are in great voice. The set-piece comes to nothing and Manning can’t keep the move alive as he is shepherded out by Porro. He’s livid, he feels he should have won another corner. Complaining to the ref will be his last act. He makes way for Sugawara.

Pat [no surname] wants to know if a manager has ever been sacked at half-time. Martin is still there.

But as Keith [also no surname] says:

“It’s bad enough that your team is down 4-0 with a couple of minutes to go in the first half. What’s worse is when the coach turns his back and walks down the tunnel and isn’t around to see the fifth goal go in.”

I didn’t like that either.

58 mins: Johnson gets his name in the book. Not sure for what. Kicking the ball away I think after a foul. Saints enjoying more time on the ball but not doing much with it. The only threat is Dibling out wide and Armstrong on the edge of through-balls.

56 mins: Dibling’s ball for Armstrong is almost perfect. From the right wing, it was placed between the defence and keeper. Just a little too heavy with the outside of his foot. Southampton have definitely improved, but the bar was very low. Spurs sitting off them a touch.

54 mins: Armstrong shoots across the face of goal from outside the box. He was off-side so it wouldn’t have counted, but that’s better from the home side. Quick ball over the top finds his run and he flashes a shot from the half-volley with his left boot. Off-side. But better.

51 mins: Spurs break and Kulusevski has a one on one. But he doesn’t have the speed to tear away on his own so he’s waiting for Johnson to get up in support. Instead of playing it early Kulusevski waits, and waits, and waits. By the time he decides to move the ball on Southampton’s defence has hurried back and the Spurs man has no choice but to go backwards.

49 mins: Manning bursts down the left and keeps going. He gets a lucky break and finds himself in the box with a sight on goal. But rather than shoot he takes an extra touch and is then bundled over. He appeals for a penalty but he’s not getting one. Missed opportunity.

47 min: There are loads of empty seats. More than a few fans have not come back after the break.

46 mins: They’re back out there. Son has been subbed for Brennan Johnson. What an opportunity to blood some youngsters.

Five more? Peter Oh [and someone else] is hoping they can:

“Somewhere out there Ralph Hasenhüttl is watching, fingers crossed that Spurs score at least five more unanswered goals so he can finally lay that day in 2019 to rest.”

Not even Spurs could Spurs this up.

Well, not according to Eric Peterson:

Every goal simply reinforces how spectacular is the prospect of another Spurs collapse, only because it’s Spurs. Every goal makes me imagine a Saints board member barging into the dressing room at half time, a la Apollo 13. “This could be the worst disaster we’ve ever experienced!” Russell Martin: “With all due respect, I believe this is going to be our finest hour.”

Loads of irate Southampton fans have written in. Here are a couple of them:

Michael Fry: “You said It’s astonishing how easily Tottenham are slicing through Southampton’s lines. Not to Saints fans these past one and a half seasons. Russell Martin has to go!”

Adam Griffiths: “Any Southampton fans know what’s happened to Armel Bella-Kotchap, the German international and apparently Southampton centre-back? Not sure he’ll make much difference now but surely he can’t be any worse than *gestures vaguely in the direction of Saints’s back-line*”

What a half of football. And it’s 100% a fair reflection on the state of the game. Southampton have been dreadful. Tottenham have been clinical. One-sided doesn’t quite cut it.

My word! Oh yes they can! That’s a delightful finish from no angle at all from Maddison. Son’s ball down the right was perfect, with the outside of his boot, and found Maddison on the gallop. He cut back near the byline and then rifled it into the roof of the net.

View image in fullscreen

45+4 mins: Into the final minute of added time and Martin is down the tunnel. What is he going to say to his players? What can he say? Something has to change and that something might be him. Anyway, Spurs keeping the ball until the break. Can they add one more?

45+2 mins: Sarr is having a top game. More nifty footwork and he’s clear in midfield. But the move fizzles out. We’re crawling to the half-time break.

45 mins: Son’s weak effort from inside the box slides straight to McCarthy. Which is a shame as that would have been some goal. Wonderful work inside their own area, Tottenham were toying with Southampton’s forwards. Then Porro had it and drove on before finding Kulusevski. Son had it in space once again but this time his finish let him down.

43 mins: Porro wins the ball deep in his own half and drives forward. On he goes. His cross-field pass is blocked but Sarr sweeps up the loose ball and ticks it along for Maddison. Son bursts onto the ball on the left where. A couple of step-overs and he shoots, but it’s just wide of the near post. Angle was perhaps too acute. McCarthy looked to have had it covered anyway.

Paul Fourmy is keeping the faith:

“Why are they leaving? Do they know who we are? They’re gonna win 5-4”

That’s the spirit.

40 mins: Armstrong almost scores! Dibling on the ball delivers from the left for his skipper. The run is perfect but the finish is not. Just wide from about five yards.

37 mins: I’m loving the way Spence is impacting the game, at both ends of the pitch, across the left and right. He’s having a great game. But here come Southampton with Manning chasing down a ball from the centre towards the left, but he’s beaten to it and gives away a free kick.

36 mins: Fernandes is booked for shoving Bergvall into the post as they all jostled for space before Son’s corner. No penalty though. Once the corner is swung in, it’s headed away but Spurs come again. Maddison lifts a lob-wedge style ball into the mixer. It’s cleared away.

34 min: Another poor Southampton delivery from a set-piece, this time a corner , is easily dealt with and Spurs counter in a flash. The move ends with Son shooting on the angle and McCarthy does well to tip it over the bar.

32 mins: Ooh, half a chance for a fifth. Solanke couldn’t quite organise his feet as he controlled a cross from the right. He almost wriggled the space to shoot but the ball got stuck underneath him.

31 mins: The Saints free kick was poor. Straight at Forster. Spurs back on the ball.

29 min: It’s astonishing how easily Tottenham are slicing through Southampton’s lines. It has the appearance of a training session. Oh but there’s a rare mistake from a man in blue and Bergvall, after giving away the ball, commits a foul and receives a yellow card. Oppirtunity here for Saints to clip one into the mixer from centre left, about 35 yards out.