Maddison-inspired Spurs rout sorry Saints 5-0

St Mary’s Stadium Picture by Jack Burford

By Jack Burford at St Mary’s Stadium

Tottenham scored four goals in the opening 25 minutes as they annihilated Southampton 5-0 at St Mary's Stadium, which ultimately cost the home side’s boss Russell Martin his job.

It was an emphatic Tottenham display that demonstrated how good they can be when everything clicks. James Maddison was the star of the show, scoring twice to become Tottenham's top scorer in the Premier League this season.

The Spurs number 10 opened the scoring in 36 seconds, following a clever through ball from Djed Spence. Tottenham then added their second through Heung-min Son, After Jan BedJan Bednarek header from a James Maddison cross fell perfectly for the South Korean star.

 Spurs quickly got their third as Kulusevski slotted into an empty net after a Solanke effort was blocked into his path. A combination of Tottenham’s attacking prowess and Southampton's defensive woes saw Spurs 3-0 up after just 15 minutes, prompting some fans to leave and voice their displeasure towards now-ex Saints boss Russell Martin.

Martin then decided to abandon his original back four and revert to a back five in search of more defensive stability, a change that saw a disappointed Kamaldeen Sulemana pulled off. However, this did little to stop Spurs from adding further misery to the Southampton faithful. Papa Mata Sarr and James Maddison each scored brilliant goals before half-time, which meant Tottenham led 5-0 at the break, equaling the Premier League’s half-time record.

In the second half, Tottenham took their foot off the accelerator, and Southampton seemed to shut up shop to avoid further embarrassment.

With a congested fixture schedule and eight first-team players out injured, Postecoglou couldn’t be too displeased with his team's more controlled second-half performance.

This was a much-needed reaction from a Tottenham side that had been winless in their previous five fixtures. With important matches upcoming against Manchester United in both the cup and league, as well as league leaders Liverpool visiting the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before Christmas, Postecoglou will hope his team’s fortunes are turning at just the right time.

Djed Spence and Lucas Bergvall also made their first Premier League starts for Tottenham, both having impressive displays. Spence, in particular, had been waiting for his chance after signing for Spurs 885 days ago, finally getting an opportunity to showcase his talents. Postecoglou, speaking about Spence’s performance, said:

He said: “Djed has had to bide his time. To be fair, it's the one area of the pitch where we've had cover this year with Archie playing at right-back, so he's had to be patient.

“It's a testament to him and the coaches who have worked with him in training that he could come on today. We needed him for sure, not just to play but to make an impact, and he did. Great reward for his patience and perseverance.”