There was a pre-season feel to Tottenham's final home game of the season as Southampton made the short trip to London for both teams' penultimate match of the campaign. Spurs' title charge may have ended a little under a week ago, but there was still plenty to play for ahead of Sunday's early kick off. Mauricio Pochettino's side are still pressing for a second placed finish and knew a victory would all-but secure a top-two spot.
Heung-min Son set the hosts on their way to three points having rounded Fraser Forster before calmly tucking into an empty net after 15 minutes, only for Saints to peg Spurs back on the half hour mark as Steven Davis side footed Dusan Tadic's low cross under Hugo Lloris to level matters. Davis was on hand to fire Saints in front as the game came to a head, rolling the ball past Lloris from the edge of the 18-yard box.
Pochettino's side pressed for a vital equaliser in their bid to finish above Arsenal, yet were unable to find the second, with Nacer Chadli coming perilously close to levelling matters deep into stoppage time, but the Belgian did little more than force Forster into a huge save with the hosts made to settle for a loss as a result. Saints worked hard from the off to secure the win and despite going behind in the opening exchanges, fought valitantly to drag themselves back into the fixture. Davis will earn the plaudits are rightly so with his brace securing all the spoils, but the foundation for Saints' success at White Hart Lane was built on the defensive marshalling of Virgil van Dijk and a superb showing from Victor Wanyama in the middle of the park.
Van Dijk has been arguably one of the signings of the season and he continues to go from strength to strength on the south coast. The Dutchman gained a commendable WhoScored rating of 7.19 in Saints' 2-1 win, with 12 clearances, two shots blocked and two interceptions contributing to that. Importantly, though, was that Van Dijk - along with captain Jose Fonte - limited Harry Kane's influence over the 90 minutes. The England international has scored more goals (25) than any other player in the Premier League this season, yet failed to have the desired effect in the final third, with Kane mustering six shots and just one on target.
With Wanyama patrolling the midfield, Spurs' clear cut chances were few and far between with eight of their 20 shots from outside the 18-yard box. The Kenyan alone made more tackles (7) than any other player in Saints' 2-1 win at Tottenham Sunday, helping to protect Forster's goal. While his ill-discpline is cause for concern at times, Wanyama's performance - enough to earn a rating of 7.41 - played a huge role in Saints' win. With the game passing by Jordy Clasie - the Dutchman mustering just 14 touches prior to his 57th minute withdrawal - Wanyama's task was made all the harder, but he dealt with Spurs' offensive threat with ruthless efficiency.
Wanyama's display further highlighted Spurs' need for midfield reinforcements. With Dele Alli and Mousa Dembele both suspended, Heung-min Son and Ryan Mason both started and while the former impressed, netting the opener, the latter struggled alongside Eric Dier in the middle of the park. As tenacious as Mason is, his performance did little more than suggest that Pochettino needs to invest in the summer.
Mason gained a worse WhoScored rating (5.92) than any other player on the pitch having struggled to contain Saints' ever-moving offensive trio. A lack of strength in depth has been telling, with the likes of Mason and Tom Carroll failing to have the desired effect when it's required. Indeed, Spurs have won just two of 11 Premier League games the duo have started between them this season. Today felt like Mason's chance to prove himself to Pochettino, but he let slip the opportunity.
Second place is still within Spurs' reach, but they now need a win at Newcastle on the final day of the season for that to come to fruition. For this impressive Saints side, meanwhile, a European finish is still very much on the cards.
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