Wed 21 April 2021, 09:44
Tottenham HotspurAhead of this evening's visit of Southampton, we take a look at the key numbers behind the game (6pm kick-off).
Hosting Saints
As of late, we have a strong record against Southampton when they have made the trip to north London. In our last five home matches against the south coast-based outfit, we have gone undefeated, while in our last 10 home meetings, we have picked up eight wins and have lost just once. That run includes victories in both encounters between the sides to date at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The first came in September, 2019, as goals from Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Kane, either side of Danny Ings’ equaliser, earned us a 2-1 win before, in February, 2020, a late Heung-Min Son winner in a five-goal thriller saw us through to the fifth round of the FA Cup with us edging the fourth round replay 3-2.
This is not a fixture that traditionally sees many draws. In fact, in the last 30 league encounters between us and Southampton, there have been just two, with the last such result in N17 coming over 20 years ago, back in January, 2001. Meanwhile, home Premier League outings on a Wednesday night are fixtures that we have enjoyed in recent years as we haven’t lost such a game since a 1-0 defeat to Leicester City in January, 2016. Since then, we have won 10 of our 11 such matches (D1), scoring 25 goals and conceding just four.
Our last 11 Wednesday night home Premier League games
14 December, 2016 – Spurs 3-0 Hull – White Hart Lane
4 January, 2017 – Spurs 2-0 Chelsea – White Hart Lane
13 December, 2017 – Spurs 2-0 Brighton – Wembley Stadium
31 January, 2018 – Spurs 2-0 Manchester United – Wembley Stadium
9 May, 2018 – Spurs 1-0 Newcastle United – Wembley Stadium
5 December, 2018 – Spurs 3-1 Southampton – Wembley Stadium
26 December, 2018 – Spurs 5-0 Bournemouth – Wembley Stadium
30 January, 2019 – Spurs 2-1 Watford – Wembley Stadium
3 April, 2019 – Spurs 2-0 Crystal Palace – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
22 January, 2020 – Spurs 2-1 Norwich – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
13 January, 2021 – Spurs 1-1 Fulham – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Attack and defence
Our meetings with Southampton this century have been goalfests. In 31 encounters in all competitions with the Saints since the turn of the millennium, there has been exactly 100 goals scored – an average of just over 3.2 goals per game. Four of those matches saw five goals scored, one game saw six, two recorded seven while one even had nine – a 7-2 rout by us in March, 2000. We have found the target in all bar one of the last 19 encounters between the sides.
But it hasn’t been just one side scoring the goals in this fixture as clean sheets have regularly been a rarity in such clashes. Looking at just the last 14 encounters in all competitions between us and this evening's opponents, just two clean sheets have been kept.
However, this season, our defensive record at home remains one of the best in the league. We have conceded just 17 goals so far this term at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – a record that can only be bettered by Manchester City (15) and Chelsea (16). Meanwhile, we have scored in 20 of our last 23 home games and have found the target 41 times during that run.
The form guide
Despite a bright start to this season, it has been a rough 2021 so far for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side. Having been briefly top of the tree in November, Southampton have since slipped to 14th in the table and now sit closer to the relegation zone (nine-point gap) than the top half of the division (10-point gap). Their drop in form in the top flight has come since the turn of the year as they have picked up just seven points from a possible 42, earning just two wins from their last 14 games – the lowest return of any side in the competition in 2021. Those two victories came against now-relegated Sheffield United and 17th-placed Burnley. In terms of their form away from home, the Saints have lost seven of their eight games on the road this year and conceded 26 goals in those seven defeats – an average of 3.7 goals per game.
Hasenhuttl’s side, however, did enjoy a run in this season's FA Cup and made it all the way to the semi-finals having knocked out Shrewsbury, Arsenal, Wolves and Bournemouth. Their journey in the competition ended on Sunday though as Leicester defeated them 1-0 at Wembley thanks to a Kelechi Iheanacho strike.
Meanwhile, despite indifferent form over the last few weeks, we have won six of our last seven home games in all competitions. We also head into this game with a new man at the helm as on Tuesday, our former player and then Head of Player Development Ryan Mason was appointed as our Interim Head Coach. Ryan will become the youngest manager in Premier League history when he takes to the dugout against Southampton.
On the front foot
Prolific duo Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane have already shown this season how much they enjoy a goal against Southampton. Sonny hit the target four times in September’s 5-2 win over the Saints – with all of his goals assisted by Harry – as he became the fourth Spurs player to score a hat-trick against them (Steffen Iversen, Jermain Defoe and Harry have all also scored trebles versus Southampton). Our South Korean international has also scored in each of his last three appearances against Hasenhuttl’s side (six goals in three games).
As well as assisting all four of Sonny’s goals in that 5-2 win earlier this season, Harry also got himself on the scoresheet in that clash by burying our fifth. That made it 16 goal contributions for the England international in just 12 career league appearances against Southampton (10 goals, six assists).
Another player who has enjoyed a goal against the Saints in recent times, especially at home, is Lucas Moura. In each of his home appearances against Southampton, the lightning-paced forward has managed to find the target (two goals in two games).
