Southampton can no longer catch Wolves in 17th place, and this return to the Championship after just one season back in the Premier League is no surprise. One might have expected a show of defiance and at least a little energy in an effort to put off the inevitable relegation, but they were poor once again, and a late strike from Mateus Fernandes came from one of their few shots on goal.
Spurs, by contrast ,could have won by more, but once Brennan Johnson had put them 2-0 ahead well before half-time, Ange Postecoglou's men were content to play within themselves, conscious the game on Thursday is so important if they are to salvage something from a poor season.
At least they can go into the game with confidence, with Johnson's return to goalscoring form and a stoppage time penalty from Mathys Tel, on as a late substitute.
Spurs were comfortably in control on a sunny afternoon punctuated with chants of protest by some fans against Daniel Levy.
Cristian Romero powered in bullet headers twice inside the opening half-hour and was denied each time by Aaron Ramsdale, the goalkeeper stopping the ball with his face the second time and requiring treatment. Tottenham fans showed little sympathy for the former Arsenal keeper.
Spurs were ahead by this stage, with a goal straight from the training pitch. Having received a pass from defence in the centre-circle, James Maddison worked it out to Heung Min Son on the left. The overlapping Djed Spence took it on and his cutback was met by Johnson, who fired high past Ramsdale.
Johnson was to score again before half-time, but in between came yet another interminable delay while VAR agonised over whether Lucas Bergvall's 33rd minute strike should be allowed to stand. The Swede volleyed home after Romero headed back across goal, but it took the VAR team five minutes of line-drawing to suggest Romero had been fractionally offside. Clear and obvious it was not, irritating it certainly was.
Johnson scored his and Tottenham's second goal in the 42nd minute. Maddison was the provider with a dinked header forward, and Johnson nipped in behind the napping defenders to flick the ball past Ramsdale with the outside of his right boot.
The second half was an exercise in Tottenham Fernandes gave the travelling Saints fans hope with a goal in the final minute f normal time, taking down a cross from the left before swivelling and shooting through the legs of Spence and past Guglielmo Vicario.
But minutes later Wellington brought down Johnson and Tel converted the penalty to make it 3-1.
TOTTENHAM (4-3-3): Vicario 7, Porro 6, Romero 7, Davies 6, Spence 7; Bergvall 8 (Bissouma 80), Bentancur 8 (Sarr 57), Maddison 7 (Gray 80); Johnson 8, Solanke 7 (Tel 87), Son 6 (Odobert 57).
SOUTHAMPTON (4-3-3): Ramsdale 6; Walker-Peters 6, Bednarek 5, Harwood-Bellis 6, Manning 5 (Wellington 64); Dibling 6 (Sugawara 73), Aribo 5 (Smallbon e 64), Ugochukwu 5 (Stewart 83); Fernandes 6, Archer 5 (Onuachu 73), Sulemana 7
Referee: Michael Salisbury