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Post by Football News on Apr 25, 2015 14:32:40 GMT
Tottenham deny Southampton win over Pochettino after Nacer Chadli pouncesSouthampton 2 - 2 SpursGraziano Pelle 29 Graziano Pelle 65Erik Lamela 43 Nacer Chadli 70 Two goals by Graziano Pellè were not enough to give Southampton the victory that their fans craved over Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur, as Érik Lamela and Nacer Chadli struck to ensure that the Argentinian’s current club left his old stomping ground with a point. Spurs stay above Pochettino’s former club in the Premier League table. Some Southampton fans had vowed to pour scorn upon their ex upon his first return to St Mary’s since his summer defection to Spurs but when Pochettino emerged from the tunnel before kick-off he was met by a smattering of boos rather than a torrent of abuse. Others in the home crowd had resolved to declare their affection for their current manager instead of to barrack their former one, but even the so-called “Ronald Koeman Day” did not really take-off – there were pockets of people dressed in Dutch orange around St Mary’s, but most of them were stewards in high-visibility bibs. When play got under way, the hostility towards Pochettino did briefly rise, with the Argentinian being jeered when he stepped out of the dugout in the third minute to issue instructions. There followed predictable back-and-forths between rival fans about Pochettino, and even about Gareth Bale. It seemed fans had to find ways to amuse themselves given that most of the first half was a nonevent on the pitch. Tottenham began the more sprightly, with Nabil Bentaleb orchestrating things nicely, but neither side looked dangerous early on. It was 25 minutes before anyone had a notable shot, Morgan Schneiderlin meeting a corner by James Ward-Prowse with a side-footed volley that forced Hugo Lloris into an admirable save. If there is one area where Southampton have improved hugely under Koeman, it is in defence. Tottenham’s rearguard have not made similar progress under Pochettino and the Argentinian must have been aghast at the bungling that allowed Southampton to take the lead in the 29th minute. Pellè flicked a ball on halfway on to Sadio Mané, who tried to dash between Federico Fazio and Jan Vertonghen. Fazio managed to dispossess the Senegalese on the edge of the area but Tottenham failed to tidy up, with Ryan Mason misjudging an attempted pass to Ben Davies and then slipping over. Pellè chased down the ball and Davies dithered before being bumped by the striker, who profited from the defender’s fall to poke the ball past Lloris from eight yards. That was all very sloppy but two minutes later Southampton produced a slick move that should have resulted in a second goal. After composed play from the back by José Fonte, Ward-Prowse swept the ball wide to Ryan Bertrand, who pinged a low cross to Steven Davis, who undid all that elegant work by shanking wide from the edge of the area. Suddenly the match had fizz. In the 42nd minute Chadli jinked his way down the left, leaving a bewildered Nathaniel Clyne in his wake, and then clipped a cross to Ryan Mason, whose plum volley was blocked by Fonte. One minute later Spurs drew level – and the home crowd found another Argentinian villain. After Eric Dier crossed from the right and Harry Kane flicked the ball on, Lamela diverted it into Kelvin Davis’s net from seven yards with the help of an arm. The referee, Jon Moss, could be excused for not spotting the offence, which was not blatant enough to belong in the Diego Maradona category. Southampton made a much better start to the second half, except for Steven Davis, who twice shot badly wide from good positions. His miss in the 54th minute was particularly galling, the Northern Irishman lifting his shot wide from 10 yards after a lovely move involving Pellè and the increasingly threatening Mané. Southampton regained the lead with a goal that reflected their second-half improvement, even if Spurs’ defence was again deficient. Mané pounced on a poor header by Davies and fed Shane Long, who had just been sprung from the bench. The Irishman crossed and Pellè, eluding Fazio far too easily, sent a powerful header into the net from 10 yards. Southampton seemed well on course for the victory that would have taken them back above Spurs in the table. But an uncharacteristic defensive lapse in the 70th minute led to the home side being prised open by a straightforward pass by Dier. Chadli held off Maya Yoshida to slot into the net from close range. Guardian
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