Well, that was fun, wasn’t it? Spurs rocked up to St Mary’s and treated us to a ruthless display of attacking football, slapping Southampton 5-0 in 45 minutes flat and sending their manager, Russell Martin, to the unemployment queue. Clinical, chaotic, and – dare we say it – properly Ange-ball.
It took just 40 seconds for James Maddison to calm any pre-match jitters, slipping home from Djed Spence’s clever little setup. Southampton’s defence looked more disorganised than Christmas dinner at your in-laws, and our lads gleefully ran riot. Sonny bagged the second, a proper composed finish past Alex McCarthy, and Kulusevski was on hand for a tap-in to make it three – all inside a quarter of an hour.
Cue angry boos from the Saints faithful, and poor Kamaldeen Sulemana being hooked off like a comedian bombing at an open mic. Martin switched to a back three in desperation, but if anything, it just got worse. Sonny carved them apart again, serving up a delightful assist for Pape Sarr, who slalomed through a couple of flimsy challenges to slot home. Then Maddison rounded things off before half-time with a ridiculous strike from a seemingly impossible angle. Five-nil before the break – surreal.
By that point, Southampton fans had seen enough. Some trudged off early, clearly not buying into the idea of a Christmas miracle. And honestly, who could blame them? Even when Matheus Fernandes thought he’d nicked a late consolation, the offside flag rubbed salt in the wounds. No joy for the Saints, who are now rock-bottom at Christmas, nine points adrift and looking more doomed than a Spurs title charge in February.
For us, it was a lovely way to bounce back after some patchy form. Ange made a few bold calls, tweaking the lineup after a Europa League hiccup against Rangers, and it worked a treat. Southampton, to be fair, were wide open – more gaps in their defence than logic in VAR decisions – but Spurs still had to punish them, and punish them we did.
Sonny, Maddison, Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke looked electric. With 36 league goals already, we’re the second-highest scorers in the division, and Sonny’s two assists have now tied him with Darren Anderton as our Premier League assist king. Not bad for someone many doubted could adapt to Ange’s system.
And there’s reason to be optimistic: we’re just five points off the top four. The congested mid-table battle could turn in our favour if we keep bullying teams like Southampton. If this is the response to a noisy week, long may it continue.
Spurs being Spurs, of course, there’s every chance we’ll find a way to make things complicated again, but for now, let’s enjoy a rare moment of pure, unadulterated dominance. After all, it’s not often we get to call ourselves a juggernaut – so let’s milk it while it lasts. COYS!