Archie Gray was handed only his second Premier League start after leaving Leeds United in the summer on Sunday night as Tottenham Hotspur clocked up a huge 5-0 win over Southampton.
The pressure was on Ange Postecoglou going into Sunday’s clash on the south coast and his problems were exacerbated by a dismal list of injuries, that included three first-choice centre-backs all sidelined.
Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven were out injured, as was Ben Davies. It left just Radu Dragusin and Gray as options in the middle of Tottenham’s defence but that didn’t matter, as they cruised to a win.
Gray was excellent for Tottenham against a side that beat Leeds three times last season, including the play-offs. Indeed, Leeds fans reacted to Gray getting revenge on Southampton after losing at Wembley.
Archie Gray posts on Instagram as Tottenham beat Southampton
Gray was sensational, enjoying more touches than any other player on the pitch and the only one to touch the ball more than 100 times. Not only that, but the 18-year-old completed 97% of his passes.
Archie Gray’s stats for Tottenham in win v Southampton:
James Maddison scored a brace, while Dejan Kulusevski, Pape Matar Sarr and Son Heung-Min all got themselves on the score sheet. The 5-0 win over Southampton saw Russell Martin sacked by the Saints.
Leeds fans responded to Martin’s sacking on social media after the game, and Gray posted on Instagram. He said: “Great team performance and result! Onto Thursday.” Spurs face Man United in the Carabao Cup.
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Harry Gray posts Sergio Ramos GIF on Archie Gray’s Instagram
He was a rolls royce at the back for Tottenham, even denying what looked like a Southampton goal with a last-ditch block inside his own six-yard box as Fraser Forster kept a clean sheet against his old side.
Plenty responded to Gray’s Instagram, including Leeds youngsters Harry Gray and Jeremiah Mullen. His younger brother Harry actually posted a GIF of Sergio Ramos, while Mullen described him as “versatile”.
Djed Spence, now a Tottenham teammate after spending the first half of last season with Gray on loan at Leeds, described Gray as a “jack of all trades”. A brilliant performance for Gray, playing at centre-back.