Southampton 1-2 Tottenham

Tottenham piled the pressure on
Southampton boss Nigel Adkins with a
hard-fought 2-1 victory at St Mary's.
The hosts showed early sparkle before
first-half goals from Gareth Bale -
returning to haunt his former club -
and Clint Dempsey put the visitors in
control.
Jay Rodriguez responded after the
break but it wasn't enough to prevent
the hosts suffering their seventh defeat
of the season whilst Spurs are back in
the top four.
Despite their early intent, Nigel Adkins'
men almost became architects of their
own downfall when Maya Yoshida's
mistimed header fell to Aaron Lennon
but the England winger fired wide.
It was Welsh international Bale, playing
for the first time since the birth of his
child, who soon made amends,
planting a firm header beyond Artur
Boruc following Tom Huddlestone's
cross (15).
The visitors sensed an opportunity to
score a second and it came when
Jermain Defoe beat Boruc, before Jose
Fonte's clearance allowed Dempsey to
tap in.
The home side emerged after the
break with renewed promise, lively
forward Jason Puncheon leading the
charge with a booming volley before
Yoshida headed wide after Brad Friedel
failed to handle Danny Fox's delivery.
Already reinvigorated, the introduction
of Emmanuel Mayuka breathed new
life into Saints and they were rewarded
on 66 minutes courtesy of Rodriguez.
Fonte was the architect, his cute back-
heel from Adam Lallana's corner falling
to the former Burnley striker, who
rifled the ball home from close range.
Southampton pressed relentlessly for a
second but Rodriguez fired off target
and William Gallas recovered brilliantly
to block Rickie Lambert's effort.