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Southampton - Tottenham Hotspur Live - Premier League: Football Scores & Highlights - 15/12/2024  TNT Sports

Southampton manager Russell Martin has defended struggling Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou ahead of Southampton's clash with Spurs, claiming he has "a lot of respect" for the Australian.

Postecoglou has been subjected to increasing criticism in recent weeks as his Spurs side have picked up just two wins in their last eight games, albeit with emphatic wins against Manchester City and Aston Villa respectively.

Tottenham battled to a 1-1 draw away at Rangers in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, while in their previous game they let a two-goal lead slip against London rivals Chelsea to eventually lose 4-3, conceding two sloppy penalties in the process.

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Postecoglou’s staunch commitment to his tactical approach has come under scrutiny in the aftermath of Spurs' recent failures.

But Martin took a different viewpoint, insisting Postecoglou’s Spurs team is "brave" and "aggressive", while acknowledging that they have also been "unfortunate with injuries".

The Southampton head coach highlighted Postecoglou’s Celtic team as an example of what the Australian is capable of if given time.

Postecoglou blasts Werner for ‘unacceptable’ performance against Rangers

Video credit: SNTV

The 59-year-old managed Celtic between June 2021 and June 2023, winning two leagues, two Scottish League Cups and a Scottish Cup.

"There was so much praise for being so aggressive, so brave, relentless restarts, energy… he did a great job," Martin said.

"So, when results are good no one questions the style or his conviction or belief system and the minute it starts faltering it’s always down to that."

Southampton's struggles

Martin has also been criticised for his tactical stubbornness as his newly promoted Southampton side sit rock bottom of the Premier League with just one win and only five points from 15 games.

"If you believe in something, and it’s taken you a certain way in life and on a certain pathway and journey, to deviate too far from that I think is crazy," Martin said in defence of his principles.

Southampton manager Russell Martin looks dejected after his side's 1-0 Premier League defeat against Aston Villa at Villa Park on December 7, 2024

Image credit: Getty Images

"I can’t speak for him [Postecoglou] but we are adapting. We adapt shape, we adapt approach, we adapt personnel but with the same consistency in what’s really important, with the same concept of the game so we can’t deviate too far from that otherwise we become nothing really.

"Everyone is just quick to criticise these days and I have a lot of respect for him."

Southampton have lost four of their last five games and are already eight points adrift of safety in the Premier League.

Tottenham, meanwhile, have lost their last two league games and have not won in the league since their 4-0 thrashing of Manchester City in late November.

The two out-of-form sides meet on Sunday at 19:00 UK time, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

How to watch Southampton v Tottenham

TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.

Southampton v Tottenham will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 with coverage from 18:00 UK time on Sunday, December 15, ahead of a 20:00 kick-off.

You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

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Dejan Kulusevski scored a late equaliser to deny Rangers a famous win in the UEFA Europa League, as they were held to a 1-1 draw in a pulsating game with Spurs.

The hosts, who have a big cup final against Celtic at the weekend, were the better side in the first half, but found Fraser Forster in their way as he made solid saves from Nedim Bajrami and Václav Černý.

It did not take the Ibrox side long to find their feet after the break though, as Hamza Igamane netted for the fifth time in as many games when he converted in the 47th minute.

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That raised the roof at Ibrox, but try as they might, Philippe Clement’s side could not find a second, which proved costly as Kulusevski equalised late on.

There was more to come, with Cyriel Dessers forcing Forster into one stunning save and having a goal ruled out for offside as the shares were spoiled.

TALKING POINT - Pressure mounts on Postecoglou

Things have not been going well for Ange Postecoglou at Spurs, with the manager even exchanging words with supporters in recent weeks.

The former Celtic boss would have hoped a trip to Ibrox could have helped alleviate some pressure, but that could not have been further from the truth.

His side deserved little from the game, often struggling to cope with the Rangers forward line, and have now won only one of their last eight fixtures. Trouble could lie ahead, as a point will not be enough to silence any of his critics.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH

Vaclav Cerny (Rangers). The winger caused Spurs no end of problems from the Rangers right with a mesmerising display.

He was constantly able to cut inside and beat his man, and that often spelled danger, as it led to numerous shooting chances that Forster was forced into saving.

On another night, his quick feet would have grabbed a couple of goals, as the Czech Republic international, who is on loan from Wolfsburg, put in a dazzling display.

PLAYER RATINGS

RANGERS: Butland 7; Tavernier 7, Souttar 7, Propper 7, Yilmaz 7; Cerny 9, Raskin 7, Diomande 6, Bajrami 6, Jefte 6; Igamane 7. Subs: Balogun 6, Sterling 6, Barron 6, Dessers n/a, Fraser n/a

SPURS: Forster 8, Porro 7, Dragusin 6, Gray 6, Udogie 5; Bentancur 5, Bissouma 6, Maddison 6; Johnson 5, Son 6, Werner 6. Subs: Kulusevski 7, Sarr 6, Bergvall 6, Solanke 6

KEY MOMENTS

KEY STATS

Rangers remain winless against English clubs in seven games since 1992

It is now just one win for Spurs across their last six away games, losing four times

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Huijsen goal propels Bournemouth to win over Spurs

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Cairney scores off bench, then sent off as 10-man Fulham draw at Spurs

Rangers - Tottenham Hotspur Live - Europa League: Football Scores & Highlights - 12/12/2024  TNT Sports

Published 09/12/2024 at 12:01 GMT

Tottenham travel to Glasgow as they face Rangers in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday at Ibrox. Both sides have both earned 10 points in their respective campaigns so far, and a win for either team would set them up for a strong challenge to earn an automatic qualification spot for the next round. Ange Postecoglou has come under increasing pressure after defeats to Bournemouth and Chelsea.

‘Born out of desperation’ - Postecoglou reflects on ‘painful’ Spurs defeat

Video credit: SNTV

The UEFA Europa League moves onto matchday six on Thursday, with a glamorous all-British tie coming up in Glasgow.

Tottenham travel north to take on Scottish giants Rangers, with the teams neck and neck in the Europa League table.

Both sides have 10 points, with Rangers eighth and Tottenham in ninth, separated by goal difference.

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Romero insists Spurs players 'very happy' with Postecoglou ahead of Rangers, Southampton clashes

Tottenham have not won since their 4-0 win at Manchester City, and they lost at the weekend in a painful 4-3 defeat at home to Chelsea.

Manager Ange Postecoglou is feeling the pressure, so European success might go some way to winning back disgruntled supporters.

Rangers have four consecutive wins to their name, their last European match a 4-1 win at Nice, and the weekend seeing them beat Ross County 3-0. They sit third in the Scottish Premiership as they look set to lose out to arch-rivals Celtic once more.

When is Rangers v Tottenham?

Rangers will host Tottenham at Ibrox in the league phase of the Europa League on Thursday, December 12.

Kick-off is 20:00 UK time, with live coverage on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+. Coverage starts at 19:00.

How to watch Rangers v Tottenham on TNT Sports and discovery+

TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.

You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media. To find out where your local establishments showing TNT Sports are, use our Pub Finder Tool.

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Tottenham Hotspur - Chelsea Live - Premier League: Football Scores & Highlights - 08/12/2024  TNT Sports

TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League, as well as exclusive Premier League games across the 2024-25 season.

Any matches that fall within the Saturday blackout window in the UK cannot be shown live. The blackout window prohibits matches being shown on television between 14:45 and 17:15 in the UK.

Nicolas Jackson looks to get beyond the Spurs backline before unleashing a shot, but Dragusin is with him all the way and makes a brilliant last-ditch tackle to prevent the striker.

Unbelievably there have only been three goals in this incident-packed game.

Sarr gets his head on Son's corner and watches on as his effort clips the top of the crossbar and goes behind for a goal-kick.

It goes to VAR, but they surprisingly wave it away.

Cole Palmer drives forward in acres of space before pulling the trigger on a low shot, which 36-year-old Fraser Forster saves, before getting to his feet and then denying Pedro Neto on the rebound.

He's the second player to go in Anthony Taylor's book.

He fouls Kulusevski who was looking to build an attack and goes is given a yellow card.

Enzo Fernandez slips the ball to the winger on the left and this time he looks to deliver a cross but blasts the ball well long.

The mood has changed all of a sudden inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Jadon Sancho cuts inside on his right foot and sends an arrow of a strike into the bottom corner from outside the box to halve the deficit!

There were some raised eyebrows at Romero's return, but it looks like it might have come too soon as he goes down.

Cucurella instantly ran over to the kit man after that goal and changed his boots. He looked to almost shrug his shoulders at the kit man despite slipping twice.

A really poor start from the defender who has been in great form.

The left-back slips, handing Spurs possession, who find Dejan Kulusevski on the edge of the box who converts brilliantly beyond Sanchez.

Bournemouth appeal for a penalty as Bergvall charges down a shot, and VAR does check it. But his arms were tucked in and he turned away, and it’s not a penalty.

Six minutes will be added on at the end of this game. Can Spurs grab an equaliser that they scarcely deserve?

Bournemouth break and it’s two on two. Ouattara has it, but he takes far too long before eventually shooting wildly over the bar.

Spurs make a real hash of playing out from the back as Dragusin gives it away, but Forster makes a strong save. Bournemouth have had so many opportunities to put this game to bed.

Bournemouth make a trio of subs to complete their full set of five. Billing, Brooks and Unal come on for Evanilson, Tavernier and Semenyo.

There’s so much space for Bournemouth on the break now, but Ouattara fails to take advantage as his first effort is charged down by Porro and the second flies over the bar. Bournemouth had players over and he really should have done better there.

Spurs roll the dice. Off go Bissouma, who was on a yellow, and Maddison, and on come Werner and Bergvall. That’s going to mean a very open formation for the final minutes of this game.

The stepovers are out in force as Ouattara jinks down the outside and looks to open up space for a shot. He has Dragusin in trouble, but the defender does just enough to put him off and the shot is wayward.

A loose pass from Son puts Bissouma in trouble and he’s robbed of possession. Tavernier almost makes Spurs pay with a fizzing shot from range that whistles the wrong side of the top corner.

Forster makes a complete hash of playing out from the back and Bournemouth very nearly take advantage. The keeper makes a save as he scrambles to recover, but the rebound drops to Evanilson who tucks home. Bournemouth celebrate… but VAR steps in and it was offside when the shot deflected to the striker.

Fouling at corners seems to have become pretty commonplace in the league of late, but Bournemouth aren’t being quite as canny at it as some and the referee once again blows up for a free-kick as a corner is swung in.

A push from a corner is picked up by the referee and Adams delays the restart to allow his defensive colleagues to get back into position. The official spots that and books the Bournemouth man.

Christie bursts to the edge of the box and shoots low, beating Forster but seeing his effort cannon off the post.

Maddison curls a corner right into the mixer and Kepa does well to punch it clear. Porro follows up by firing a shot in low from distance, but the keeper had stayed alive after the punch and saves well.

Kepa takes an age to take a goal-kick and is booked for it. He protests, but doesn’t have much of a case.

WHAT FOOTBALL IS ON TNT SPORTS?

TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League, as well as exclusive Premier League games across the 2024-25 season.

The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.

Any matches that fall within the Saturday blackout window in the UK cannot be shown live. The blackout window prohibits matches being shown on television between 14:45 and 17:15 in the UK.

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SPURS HELD AGAINST 10-MAN FULHAM

There was a chaotic 20-minute cameo for Fulham captain Tom Cairney who came off the bench to rescue a point for Fulham on the road against Tottenham before being sent off.

Brennan Johnson and Cairney were both on target as the 10-man Cottagers earned a 1-1 draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

After a goalless first half, Spurs took the lead against the run of play at the start of the second period, but Cairney came off the bench to cancel out Johnson’s stylish finish with a beautiful strike of his own.

The first half was all about the goalkeepers, who both made big saves. Bernd Leno denied Heung-min Son from point-blank range in the second minute, before Fraser Forster reacted excellently to deny Raul Jimenez an opener.

Fulham were the ones who continued to ask the question in the opening 45 minutes, and following Forster’s heroics, Alex Iwobi crashed the ball off the underside of the bar minutes before half-time.

Forster was called into action a couple of times early in the second half to deny Issa Diop and Iwobi, and the visitors would rue the missed opportunities as Spurs swiftly took the lead.

Timo Werner clipped in an excellent cross for Johnson - who had been very quiet in the opening period - to blast in with a volley at the back post to break the deadlock with his sixth goal of the season.

Cairney’s afternoon quickly came to an end, though, when he was sent off after catching the back of Dejan Kulusevski’s leg with his studs.

And despite having the player advantage, Spurs could not capitalise in the final 15 minutes of action as Fulham held on for the point.

Image credit: Eurosport