Southampton secured a vital point in their pursuit of Premier League (PL) survival, as a last-gasp penalty from James Ward-Prowse earned a dramatic 3-3 draw against top-four chasing Tottenham Hotspur, who have secured just one victory from their last five matches in all competitions.
The Saints emerged after the restart eager to claw their way back into the contest, and found an immediate response within 45 seconds, as Ché Adams tucked home from Theo Walcott’s low delivery. Spurs regained the lead in the 65th minute, when Harry Kane rose highest in the box to direct Dejan Kulusevski’s cross into the roof of the net. Spurs extended their advantage 10 minutes later through a clinical strike from Ivan Perišić which initially appeared to kill the contest.
However, the Saints were defiant and immediately reduced the deficit to just a single goal, as former-Arsenal player Theo Walcott slotted beyond Fraser Forster to set up a tantalising finale. Southampton went in pursuit of a late leveller and were given a golden opportunity in stoppage time, when Pape Sarr tripped Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Ward-Prowse stepped up and confidently fired his spot-kick into the top corner, earning the hosts a dramatic share of the spoils with Spurs players in disbelief.
The Man of the Match was Pedro Porro, who showed impressive vision to pick out the marauding run of Son Heung-min, and the Spaniard took one touch to compose himself before firing a powerful close-range strike beyond Gavin Bazunu to give the visitors a timely breakthrough.
This draw keeps Southampton in the hunt for Premier League survival, and Spurs’ top four ambitions in a precarious position. With just four matches left to play, it is sure to be a thrilling finish to an already enthralling season of English football.
