Tottenham Hotspur interim manager, Ryan Mason, took charge of his team for the very first time as they faced Southampton. Elsewhere, Manchester City were up against Aston Villa with the Citizens looking to go further clear at the top of the table.
It was a winning start for Ryan Mason as the interim boss of Tottenham Hotspur, with his side recording a come from behind 2-1 win. Gareth Bale scored against his former side after Danny Ings had given them the lead. A controversial late penalty proved to be the difference between the two teams, which Son Heung-min converted.
Southampton were by far the better side in the first half and very nearly opened the scoring following a set-piece. However, Mohammed Salisu’s original header was saved by Hugo Lloris, who did even better to parry Che Adams’ follow-up away. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side did take the lead right on the half-hour mark through Ings. The English striker flicked a James Ward-Prowse corner expertly into the net. An outstretched Hugo Lloris could do nothing but watch as the ball crept past him into the goal.
Spurs hit back after half time and were rewarded for their persistence when Bale scored against his boyhood club. The ball broke to the Welshman inside the box after Lucas Moura’s shot was blocked. He then took a touch before curling it expertly past a stretched Alex McCarthy.
Tottenham thought they had taken the lead in the 75th minute when Son scored past McCarthy. However, Moura was adjudged to have impeded the goalkeeper’s eyesight from an offside position, and thus the goal was ruled out by the VAR. Nevertheless, the video referee did award Spurs a controversial late penalty after Moussa Djenepo was deemed to foul Sergio Reguilon just inside the box. Son stepped up to score and give his new manager all three points on his debut.
Elsewhere, Manchester City took on Aston Villa, hoping to continue their title charge. Nevertheless, their hopes were dashed within the first minute when John McGinn gave his team the lead. The Scotsman was picked out in the box by Ollie Watkins and converted past Ederson with ease.
City responded instantly by going on an all-out attack. Emiliano Martinez was tested in goal by the opposition attackers, but the Villa goalkeeper stood firm. That is until Phil Foden stepped up to level the match. The Englishman was left unmarked in the box by the Villa defenders and scored from a Bernardo Silva cross. Silva was the provider for City’s second goal as well. He picked out Rodri in the box with a lobbed cross. The Spaniard got to the ball before Martinez and flicked it into an empty net.
Aston Villa were given a lifeline when John Stones received his marching orders from the referee. The England international fouled Jacob Ramsey on the break, but his foot was deemed high enough for the colour of the card to be red. Nevertheless, the Villains did not take advantage of the situation and were soon themselves down to ten. Matty Cash brought down Foden with a cynical challenge, minutes after receiving his first yellow card. The referee did not hesitate in sending off the Villa defender for his second bookable offence.
The two teams cancelled each other out from there on and could not find a way past each other. City, as a result, claimed all three points following their first-half comeback. They extended their lead at the top of the table to 11 points ahead of second-placed Manchester United, with just five games left to play this season.
