Southampton vs. Tottenham Hotspur: Final score 1-2, Spurs see off late Saints push

Southampton will have to wait a little longer to haul themselves out of the relegation zone. The Saints have trailed in every Premier League match so far this season, and they were pegged back very early by visiting Tottenham Hotspur, who rebounded from the sting of losing at home to Chelsea with an admittedly inconsistent 2-1 away win.

Gareth Bale got the Spurs party started with a fifteenth-minute goal, heading Tom Huddlestone's diagonal down past a helpless Artur Boruc, and Clint Dempsey was on hand to scramble home after Jermain Defoe's effort wasn't quite cleared off the line by Jose Fonte. The 2-0 lead at halftime was no more than the visitors deserved after an intrepid display which saw them completely blunt Southampton's attacking threat and ruthlessly exploit the gaping holes in the the back line.

And then they opted to let Southampton back in it for no apparent reason. Tottenham sat back and allowed their hosts to come onto them. Naturally, that resulted in severe pressure and, eventually, a Saints goal, with Jay Rodriguez mopping up a loose ball from a corner. The Spurs back line teetered, looking to survive rather than push back the storm, and they just about pulled through.

It wasn't pretty, but points are points, and you'd have to imagine that Andre Villas-Boas will be content with winning ugly for now. Meanwhile it's the same old story for Southampton -- they look good enough to give everyone trouble but can never quite see things through.