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| Heung-Min Son of Tottenham Hotspur is tackled by Mohammed Salisu of Southampton leading to a red card and a penalty for Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary's Stadium on December 28, 2021 in Southampton, England. |
Southampton put on a show of resilience in holding Tottenham to a draw despite playing with 10 men for over 50 minutes at St Mary's.
Ralph Hasenhuttl's side started admirably when James Ward-Prowse cut across a bouncing ball to volley a swerving shot past Hugo Lloris for a superb opener.
But Saints looked to have undone their fine work when Mohammed Salisu fouled Son Heung-min in the box to earn a second booking in 12 first-half minutes and allow Harry Kane to score from the penalty spot.
Spurs twice had the ball in the net after the break, with Kane seeing a strike ruled out by VAR for a narrow offside and Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster spared own-goal blushes when it was judged he was fouled by Matt Doherty.
Tottenham may feel aggrieved by the decision on Forster's foul, but in truth they did not do enough after the break to pull and stretch a patched-up Saints back four, who repeatedly limited the visitors to crosses from wide areas.
The point means Spurs sit sixth in the table and Antonio Conte has become the first manager in the club's history to remain unbeaten in his first seven league games. But he will likely have expected more after Salisu's red card.
