Goals from Eric Lamela and Nacer Chadli earned a point for Tottenham against Southampton in the day's early kick-off. Saints striker Graziano Pellé was the main player for Ronald Koeman's men as he managed to score a brace for the hosts.
This game started slowly with both teams seeming to test each other out as not much action happened in the first ten minutes. Mauricio Pochettino will know better than anyone what this Southampton team can do so his team is looking a bit honed in.
The first actual attack came in the 12th minute when Ryan Bertrand and Maya Yoshida worked well down the left wing. Bertrand was able to whip the ball into the Tottenham box towards Graziano Pellé but he was too slow and could not connect to the end of the cross, the offside flag may have been raised if he made a connection anyway.
The game was scrappy in the early stages with tackles flying in from both teams, not much was being penalised though. Tottenham worked their first attack in the 17th minute but couldn’t finish it off. Ben Davies and Christian Eriksen passed the ball well around the edge of the Southampton box. Eriksen was able to pass the ball through to Nacer Chadli but he couldn’t find enough space for a shot.
The Saints went a good spell starting in the 19th minute as Bertrand provided another cross but, this time is was a low, driven one. Unluckily, there were no Southampton players to get on the end of it. Then, just a minute later, a corner was taken and Spurs were lucky to get it away as it dropped dangerously in the box.
The Saints carried on the pressure as Sadio Mané found some space 25-yards out, he was eyeing up a shot but James Ward-Prowse took the ball and snapped at a shot which was charged down. In the 25th minute, Morgan Schneiderlin got onto the end of a corner which was hit towards the near post and he tried a volley. The shot was well saved by Hugo Lloris who dived low to his left.
Tottenham showed life near the half-hour mark as they tried to work a couple of attacks but the Southampton defence did well to stop them early on and push the ball either out of play or up the field.
Pellé broke the deadlock in the 29th minute when he hit the ball into the back of the net from close range. It came from the errors of the Tottenham defence. Ryan Mason put Davies in trouble as he slipped over trying a back pass, the pressure forced Davies to go over and Pelle dinked the ball home past Lloris.
After the first goal, Tottenham seemed to be scrappy in their defending for a few minutes picking up two yellow cards for two of their defenders. Jan Vertonghen produced a forceful challenge on Pelle and Davies was clumsy two minutes taking out Ward-Prowse.
Steven Davis missed a gilt-edged chance in the 40th minute. Ward-Prowse hit a long ball down the left wing towards Bertrand. The left-back crossed the ball into the box perfectly towards Davis but, the player side footed it wide of the target.
Tottenham pulled the game back to 1-1 in the 43rd minute when Eric Dier crossed the ball in from the right wing. Harry Kane tried to get on the end of it but it went over him but, Eric Lamela touched it off his shoulder which was enough to get it past Kelvin Davis.
Not much was working for Steven Davis in front of goal for Southampton this game as he missed a trio of great chances, the first one was in the first-half, the second in the 50th minute as the Spurs defence parted to leave him free on goal but he dragged the ball wide. The third was in the 54th minute after a brilliant pass by Mane went to Pelle who flicked the ball onto Davis but, he hit the ball wide of the target again.
Chadli sparked a rare Tottenham attack from the left wing as he tried to dink a cross into the box but it got a deflection. The ball looped just over the Southampton bar and Kelvin Davis wasn’t sure where that ball was going.
The game was made 2-1 to Southampton in the 65th minute with Pellé scoring his second goal of the game. Substitute forward Shane Long crossed the ball into the Italian giant who headed the ball from 12 yards out and Lloris was unable to do anything about it.
The next attack of the game led to another goal. Tottenham made the game 2-2 in the 71st minute as Chadli was able to get onto the end of a through ball. He held off a Saints defender and slots the shot accurately into the back of the net.
Ben Davies had to be stretchered off the pitch after he had an awkward fall whilst being pressured by Mané. The young left-back looked like he was in a massive amount of pain. He was subbed off for Romanian centre-back Vlad Chiriches.
Tottenham had a couple of attacks in a row after that. Kane in the 78th minute had the chance to take a shot from just outside the Southampton area but it was blocked. Then, Dier tried a cross from the right wing but, Lamela was unable to get passed the Southampton defender in front of him to get a touch.
Southampton looked like they wanted a winner more than Spurs in the closing minutes though. The best chance they created was in the 83rd minute after Mane was dropped for a free-kick in a dangerous position. Schneiderlin took the free-kick and he hit it towards the back post where Jose Fonte headed the ball powerfully but, Vertonghen managed to get in the way and clear the ball.
The game finished 2-2 and this result doesn’t change the table much thus far this weekend. Both Tottenham and Southampton raise a position in the table, fifth and sixth respectively. Liverpool, who both teams have taken over have not played yet this weekend - they face West Brom later today; they also had a game in hand before this weekend.
Player Ratings:
| Southampton (2) | Tottenham Hotspur (2) | ||
 |  |  |  |
| Davis | 5 | Lloris | 5 |
| Clyne | 4 | Dier | 6 |
| Fonte | 6 | Fazio | 5 |
| Yoshida | 6 | Vertonghen | 5 |
| Bertrand | 7 | Davies | 6 |
| Alderweireld | 5 | Mason | 4 |
| Schneiderlin | 5 | Bentaleb | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse | 6 | Lamela | 6 |
| Mané | 5 | Eriksen | 5 |
| Davis | 5 | Chadli | 6 |
| Pellé MOTM | 8 | Kane | 4 |
| Substitutions | |||
| Long | 6 | Chiriches | 5 |
| Elia | 5 | Dembele | 6 |
| Reed | - | Soldado | 5 |