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Tottenham Hotspur relinquished a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Southampton at the Saint Mary's Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday (March 18).
Talismanic captain James Ward-Prowse struck the decisive penalty in the 93rd minute to force a share of the spoils. Pedro Porro put the visitors in front in the added minutes of the opening stanza before Che Adams restored parity seconds into the restart.
Harry Kane restored Tottenham's advantage in the 65th minute before Ivan Perisic made it 3-1 nine minutes later. Antonio Conte's men were flying with three points looking guaranteed, but Southampton roared back into the game in emphatic fashion.
Theo Walcott gave the Saints a lifeline by making it 3-2 after 77 minutes. In stoppage time, Pape Sarr conceded a penalty, which Ward-Prowse nonchalantly converted.
Despite languishing at the bottom of the standings, Southampton displayed tremendous fighting spirit to overturn a two-goal deficit and earn a valuable point in their bid to remain in the Premier League.
Tottenham, who've been through a rough patch lately, will be kicking themselves as their Champions League qualification hopes are on the line. Here are the five major talking points from a thrilling game:
#5 Spate of injuries mars first half
Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton played out a cagey first half that only ended goalless but also witnessed four injuries, with Richarlison's third-minute knock opening the floodgates.
The Brazilian was seen limping off in tears. Just four minutes later, Armel Bella-Kotchap was also taken off after injuring his shoulder following an aerial duel with Ben Davies.
In the 34th minute, disaster struck again for the Saints. Jan Bednarek was unable to continue as the hosts lost both their first-choice centre-backs before the end of the opening stanza.
Tottenham, though, weren't too lucky with injuries either, as Davies walked off clutching his hamstring as players kept succumbing to injuries at an alarming rate. Fortunately for both teams, there were no more injuries after the break.
#4 Porro gets off the mark for Tottenham
Pedro Porro's meteoric rise to prominence at Sporting CP convinced Tottenham to sign him on loan on deadline day, but things weren't necessarily going well for him.
The Spaniard received a lot of flak after his Spurs debut, which ended in a 4-1 loss against Leicester City. Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood called his performance "so bad that it's unbelievable."
Fast forward 35 days, and the winger celebrated his first Premier League goal with the club and a good one at that.
Son Heung-min switched play out to him on the right with an incisive pass. The 23-year-old unleashed a ferocious shot into the roof of the net, which albeit took a small deflection off the crossbar on its way in.
Nevertheless, the happiness on Porro's face summed up how much it meant to him. Conte will hope to see more of that from him during the final stretch of the season.
#3 Tottenham are Ward-Prowse's favourite opponent
Despite only being a midfielder, James Ward-Prowse is Southampton's leading scorer of the season with nine goals across competitions, including seven in the league.
Two of them have come against Tottenham - in their 4-1 opening day loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and another one today. He now has five goals against the north London side, more than against any other team.
His fifth and latest was perhaps the most important of them all, as Ward-Prowse struck a penalty in stoppage time to secure a draw for his team. The 28-year-old showed nerves of steel as he stepped up to take the spot-kick in the third minute of added time and lashed home into the top corner. Southampton's captain stepped up to the plate once again.
#2 Southampton could survive with this fighting spirit
Southampton showed great fighting spirit to fight back from two goals to draw 3-3 and earn a valuable point in their bid to survive relegation.
The Saints remain rock-bottom in the standings following what has been a truly atrocious top-flight campaign, but all's not lost yet.
Ruben Sells' side are just two points adrift of safety with ten games remaining. If they can produce the same fighting spirit they displayed today, they could retain their top-flight status.
It will be tough, though, as they play reigning champions Manchester City, table-toppers Arsenal, high-flying Newcastle United and Liverpool on the last day of the season. Southampton have a tough road ahead, but they have a chance to avoid the drop.
#1 Tottenham's struggles on the road continue
One of the biggest reasons why Tottenham have struggled in the Premier League this season is their inability to win on the road, posting inconsistent results away from home.
Post the 2022 FIFA World Cup break, Spurs have been terrible away, winning just two of seven games, losing thrice. During this period, they have conceded 14 goals, with no team in the division shipping in more.
That's hurting their Champions League hopes. Although Antonio Conte's men remain fourth, Newcastle United and Liverpool, who are just below them, have two games in hand and could push Spurs down the charts.
Their inability to qualify for the competition could also mean the end of the road for the beleaguered Conte, who hasn't been able to work his usual magic this season.
In fact, Tottenham haven't won more than two league games in a row all season. They also lost meekly in both cup competitions, including a 1-0 loss to Championship side Sheffield United in the FA Cup.
