Tottenham player ratings from disappointing 1-1 draw at Southampton

Spurs midfield ratings

There was some rotation in the midfield with Dele Alli and Harry Winks both coming in as Lucas Moura and Oliver Skipp went to the bench. The introduction of Dele meant a shift to a five-man midfield as Dele and Pierre Hojbjerg both played a little further up the pitch than did Harry Winks for much of the match.

Emerson Royal – 6

After what might have been his best outing as a Spurs player on Sunday against Palace, Emerson Royal did not have the same kind of impact against Southampton. Emerson was active early and saw a lot of the ball, particularly in the first half, as he battled with Mohammed Salisu on the Tottenham right side. Royal was unable to find the same kind of room he did against Palace and only managed one cross before being withdrawn with just under a quarter-hour to go.

Dele Alli – 5.5

Another player who was active and tried to get on the ball during the first 45 minutes was Dele Alli but like so many others as space shrunk, so too did Dele’s touches and opportunity to impact the match. Whereas Dele was popping up in dangerous places and was often first to the second ball against Liverpool, that same movement and drive were not there against the Saints, especially in the second half, when Dele managed only two touches in 17 minutes after a team-high 40 in the first half.

Harry Winks – 6.5

Maybe the player whose day most told the story for Spurs was Harry Winks. The midfielder was back in the starting line-up with Oliver Skipp on the bench. Winks was the catalyst behind several of the best opportunities on the day for Tottenham but he was also one of the players who lost the ball several times and had some really poor touches. His presence of mind to attack with the dribble and then play Son through to earn the penalty was beautiful as was his long-ball over-the-top to Kane for the disallowed goal. Winks giving the ball away at the top of his own penalty box and far too many floated crosses without purpose were not as beautiful.

Pierre Hojbjerg – 6

Another Tottenham player who only put in a half-shift was Pierre Hojbjerg who was much more active in the second half after an anonymous first 45 minutes. The Tottenham midfielder had almost twice as many touches in the second half (53) as he did in the first (29). And while the Dane was overall very accurate connecting on 92% of his passes, none were the kind that put the ball in dangerous places to find that crack in the Saints defence.

Sergio Reguilon – 6

Sergio Reguilon had a nice little battle going on with form Spurs player Kyle Walker-Peters in the first half, as KWP was pushing forward making it difficult for the Spaniard to get out and run up the wing. Add in a little battling with Shane Long and Reguilon was put through the paces in the first half and eventually picked up a yellow, which probably was undeserved on a nice 50/50 ball he won. Nevertheless, Conte took no chances with the yellow and Reggy went off at halftime.