Football London

Ange Postecoglou has quite the decision on his hands when it comes to selecting his full-backs for Tottenham's Europa League tie against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday evening. Pedro Porro and Djed Spence both started and impressed in Sunday's 3-1 win over Southampton, with Destiny Udogie taking his place on the Spurs bench.

The Italian, as well as Micky van de Ven, remained an unused substitute for the entirety of the match and Postecoglou admitted "it made sense to put them on ice" ahead of the European fixture considering the football they have missed this season. Udogie will be raring to go after not featuring at all at the weekend and he will have to wait and see if he does come straight into the XI for the match in N17.

It is quite a tricky decision for Postecoglou as Spence has proved over the past few months that he is undroppable, Porro demonstrated his quality against Saints and Udogie is an excellent full-back who will now be refreshed to take on the German side. One player who does look set to miss out in the first leg is Dejan Kulusevski.

The Swede hasn't played since February due to a foot issue and Postecoglou suggested last week that his attacking midfielder is still a couple of weeks away. He did hint that there is a chance he could be back in time for the crucial second leg in Frankfurt next Thursday, though.

On the latest episode of their Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham podcast, football.london's Spurs writers Alasdair Gold and Rob Guest discussed the upcoming selection decisions facing Postecoglou before Thursday's home tie against Eintracht Frankfurt. The win over Southampton and James Maddison's performance was also on the agenda, as was if Tottenham need to look at signing another creative player in the summer to add to the England international and Kulusevski.

On that subject, Kevin De Bruyne's Manchester City exit was mentioned and why Kulusevski could potentially be linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium this summer considering he is very much a Pep Guardiola player. The Spaniard has waxed lyrical about him during the past but all connected with Tottenham will be hoping that City look elsewhere and Kulusevski continues to remain in the capital.

You can listen to the latest episode of the podcast right here or watch on YouTube by clicking here.

Sinking Saints and preparing for Frankfurt - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

UEFA has released the ticket details for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League finals this season and the prices are eye-watering.

Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea have all made it to the quarter-finals of their respective competitions and each hold out hope of reaching their showpiece finales. For the Gunners, they have potentially the toughest route to their Champions League final as they face Real Madrid in the quarter-finals before either PSG or Aston Villa in the semi-finals.

If they do advance through those fixtures, they will make it to the Allianz Arena, in Munich, Germany, for the final. Supporters wanting to be there in attendance face a steep price though with 18,000 tickets being released to each participating club priced at £60.06.

However, Category One will be priced at a whopping £815.07 each, up from £609.16. As for Spurs, if they beat Eintracht Frankfurt and either Bodo/Glimt or Lazio, they will make it to the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao, Spain, for the Europa League final.

The club would receive 15,000 tickets priced at a reasonable £34.32 but Category One tickets will cost £205.91, up from £128.70. Finally, and arguably the biggest favourites to win their competition, are Chelsea.

They will need to beat Legia Warsaw and then either Djurgarden or Rapid Wien to advance to the Conference League final at the Stadion Wroclaw in Poland. If they do so, 12,500 tickets will be released to the Blues at £21.45 each for the final.

There is plenty at stake as the 2024/25 campaign nears its conclusion. We are now at the business end of the term with promotion, European spots and relegation very much on the line.

The vast majority of Tottenham's loan players have something to play for between now and May and they will be hoping their loan moves end on a positive note ahead of returning to Hotspur Way in the summer. After all, the main reason they have departed on loan is to build up some experience and potentially play their way into the club's plans for next season.

So how exactly did Tottenham's loan players fare over the weekend? football.london takes a look below.

Yang Min-hyeok (QPR)

Fresh from his goal the previous weekend at Stoke City, Yang Min-hyeok deservedly took his place in the QPR team for their home encounter against Cardiff City. The South Korean ace would only be on the pitch for just over an hour as he was replaced by former Tottenham youngster Kieran Morgan for the final 30 minutes of the 0-0 draw.

Yang and QPR have an important game on Wednesday evening when they travel to Oxford United. The west London club have been dragged back into relegation trouble because of their winless run and three points really is vital as they look to move away from danger.

Ashley Phillips (Stoke City)

Ashley Phillips and Stoke City are only two points clear of the Championship drop zone with six games of the season left to play. The Potters played out a 1-1 draw with Preston North End on Saturday, with Lewis Baker ensuring they returned to Staffordshire with a point following his late penalty.

Phillips once again played the full game and received a score of 6.5 out of ten in Stoke-on-Trent Live's player ratings. "Across to cover and make smart block on Osmajic but couldn’t make decisive block on Preston opener," was the verdict from Stoke City correspondent Peter Smith.

Stoke have two huge games coming up this week when they take on relegation rivals Luton Town and Cardiff City.

Manor Solomon (Leeds United)

It was a hugely disappointing weekend for Manor Solomon and Leeds United as they dropped out of the promotion places following a 1-1 draw at Luton Town. Burnley fully capitalised on their setback as they won 2-1 at Coventry City to move to the summit of the Championship table.

Solomon played 87 minutes of the contest at Kenilworth Road and was handed a score of seven out of ten in Leeds Live's player ratings for his showing in Bedfordshire.

Reporter Isaac Johnson wrote: "Sizzling low ball from the free-kick wreaked havoc early on and had a sharp effort pushed away. Showed his strength against bulkier markers and utilised his nimble footwork - but then shinned a ball wide from yards out when he should have scored."

Leeds boss Daniel Farke was asked about that miss after the game and mentioned that they had to take full advantage of that situation. "You have to be patient to create your chances and sadly we missed the 100 per cent chance with Manor Solomon," said the German. "In such a game where you want to win it, you have to use such a situation."

Leeds travel to Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening before hosting Preston North End on Saturday afternoon.

Will Lankshear (West Bromwich Albion)

Will Lankshear's lack of match action for West Brom continued on Saturday as he came off the bench for the final 11 minutes of their 1-0 defeat to Sunderland. The striker will be hoping for an increase in pitch time over the next week with an away game at Bristol City and home match against Watford to come.

Alfie Dorrington (Aberdeen)

Alfie Dorrington's run in the Aberdeen starting XI continued on Saturday as he played the full 90 minutes of their 1-0 win at Ross County. The Spurs youngster will be hoping that the Dons can make it three wins on the spin in the league when they host Rangers at Pittodrie on Sunday afternoon.

Bryan Gil (Girona)

Bryan Gil looks to have played the last game of his Girona loan spell after undergoing surgery on a knee injury last month. The Spanish side have eight games remaining in their league campaign and they currently sit 13th after a poor run of form of late.

Jamie Donley and Josh Keeley (Leyton Orient)

Leyton Orient missed out on the opportunity to close the gap on Bolton in the final League One play-off place after playing out a 0-0 draw with Wigan at the weekend. Josh Keeley started the game and kept his 15th clean sheet of a remarkable season.

Jamie Donley, on the other hand, started the game on the bench and came on for the final 14 minutes but he couldn't help Orient secure an important win in their push for promotion. The O's travel to Mansfield Town on Tuesday evening and they are on the road once again on Saturday when they visit Crawley Town.

Alfie Devine and Luka Vuskovic (Westerlo)

Alfie Devine was on the scoresheet for Westerlo on Saturday as he helped the Belgian side come from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw at home to OH Leuven. Luka Vuskovic did not take part in the game as he remained an unused substitute after coming off in their 1-0 defeat at Dender the previous week.

It was mentioned ahead of the game that Vuskovic was touch and go to feature, with the youngster unfortunately going on to play no part in the fixture. Westerlo's next Conference League play-off group fixture comes at home to Charleroi on Friday night.

Alejo Veliz (Espanyol)

Espanyol recorded a huge win in their battle to stay in La Liga as they won 4-0 at Rayo Vallecano on Friday evening. Potentially a big result in their season, it was unfortunately a night of mixed emotions for Alejo Veliz as he remained an unused substitute.

The win will no doubt limit Veliz's chances of earning a starting spot this weekend when they travel to Celta Vigo. To date, the striker has one goal in 22 appearances for Espanyol in the league this season.

Matthew Craig (Mansfield Town)

Matthew Craig has finally returned to action for Mansfield Town after suffering with a hamstring injury since the middle of January. The midfielder was named in Nigel Clough's starting XI for Tuesday evening's 2-1 home defeat to Charlton Athletic and he marked his comeback with a stunning left-footed volley from the edge of the box that flew into the top corner of the net.

Craig played 65 minutes of the Charlton loss and then got another 74 minutes in the tank in the weekend as Mansfield fell to a 2-1 defeat at Huddersfield Town. There will be a Spurs reunion at Field Mill on Tuesday when Craig comes up against Leyton Orient duo Keeley and Donley.

George Abbott (Notts County)

George Abbott registered an assist for Notts County last Tuesday evening as they recorded a comfortable 3-0 home victory against MK Dons. The Spurs youngster would play no part in Saturday's defeat at Colchester United, though, after sustaining a knock in the midweek game.

Abbott will have his fingers crossed that he can play on Friday evening when Salford City travel to Meadow Lane. The Magpies are in a good position to clinch a play-off place as they have a six-point cushion over Colchester in eighth with five games remaining.

Luca Gunter (Wealdstone)

Wealdstone have won their past two National League fixtures but Luca Gunter has played no part after dropping to the bench with Dante Baptiste coming into the side. As Wealdstone have moved five points clear of the drop zone as a result of their last two weeks, the shot-stopper may have to contend with a place on the bench in their final five games.

Sinking Saints and preparing for Frankfurt - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

Ange Postecoglou elected against playing Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie in Tottenham's win over Southampton with the team's return to Europa League action in mind. Tottenham host Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their quarter-final tie on Thursday evening, with the return game coming in Germany seven days later.

Both Van de Ven and Udogie were named on the Spurs bench for Sunday's 3-1 home win against Southampton but remained unused substitutes throughout the 90 minutes. Heading into the fixture with an opportunity to rotate his players ahead of such a crucial match in their season, the head coach chose to make a total of three changes from their defeat at Chelsea three days earlier.

Van de Ven and Udogie were two to drop out of the team as Ben Davies and Pedro Porro came in, with Brennan Johnson for Wilson Odobert Postecoglou's only other alteration. During his time speaking on Tottenham's Review Show after the win, the Australian revealed that he didn't want to make too many changes as he "thought it was important to get some sort of cohesion moving into Thursday".

However, he did admit that it was also "important" for Van de Ven and Udogie that "they got a full recovery" after starting in the 1-0 defeat at Chelsea. In his post-match press conference, Postecoglou also opened up on Richarlison's return to the squad and the importance of him taking his place in the 20-man matchday party again even if he didn't get to take the field.

"Yeah Destiny and Micky are fine. They have missed a lot of football this year so it made sense to put them on ice today," explained Postecoglou after the victory.

"Richy is good. We've kind of done this with a few of the boys coming back and getting them involved in the matchday and the possibility of him getting a run today, but I just thought when they're involved in matchday it gets rid of a lot of the nerves of coming back or anxiety from coming back from a long time out. He'll get a few more days in training and play a part from now on."

One other team selection Postecoglou made ahead of the Eintracht game involved Lucas Bergvall. The Tottenham midfielder, who recently missed out on two games for Sweden during the international break due to illness, was substituted on 64 minutes against Chelsea and it was a decision that didn't sit well with Spurs supporters.

Speaking the following day when previewing the Southampton game, Postecoglou told football.london that his midfielder "didn’t look himself physically and in terms of running power". Amid the disappointment of his early exit at Stamford Bridge, the Swede was back to his usual self against Southampton and was unlucky to have a goal ruled out for offside.

Given his recent absence on the international stage, Postecoglou opened up on the importance of Bergvall getting game time against Chelsea and "another good block" prior to the Eintracht Frankfurt showdown.

"Yeah, look he looked a bit leggy on Thursday night but I thought it was important for him to get it out of his system because he hadn’t played, because he didn’t play the internationals, for two-and-a-half weeks and he hardly played," revealed the former Celtic boss.

"With Thursday in mind, I thought giving him 60 minutes on Thursday (against Chelsea) and another good block, he looked a lot better today, physically stronger and in the first half I felt the midfield three of Rodri, Madders and Lucas were really, really good defensively but also when we had the ball, they were really strong and it worked well."

Clearly having one eye on the Eintracht Frankfurt match but also knowing the importance of beating Southampton and building cohesion for their return to Europe, all will be hoping that Postecoglou's decisions pay off when the German side visit N17 later this week.

Spurs' selection choices vs Chelsea, key player fitness & the loan latest - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

It is now 16 goals for Brennan Johnson this season after he struck twice in Tottenham's 3-1 win over Southampton on Sunday afternoon. The winger may even have had 17 goals to his name in the 2024/25 campaign had he taken the penalty he won in stoppage time.

Instead, it was substitute Mathys Tel who stepped up and converted from 12 yards to ensure there was no way back for Southampton after Mateus Fernandes' late goal. Everyone inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and those watching on from elsewhere probably expected Johnson to take on the responsibility and notch his first Premier League hat-trick after winning the penalty himself.

It was decided that Tel would instead have the opportunity to score Tottenham's third of the day, with Cristian Romero, who was wearing the captain's armband following Son Heung-min's substitution, heavily involved in the decision making. Johnson had indicated that he wanted to take it by pointing to himself and holding three fingers up to Tel to signal that he was on a hat-trick, but Romero took the ball off Pedro Porro, who was also involved, and placed it in the hands of Tel. The World Cup winner then walked over to Johnson, shared a few words with him and gave him a hug.

Perhaps he came to the conclusion that it was only right for Tel to receive a confidence boost after Johnson did likewise in the first half with his double following two excellent finishes in the area. Johnson looked a bit dejected immediately after as Tel stepped up, which is perfectly understandable as the opportunity to score a Premier League hat-trick doesn't come around too often, but he and the rest of the team were involved in the celebrations as they congratulated the January loan signing on his maiden Premier League goal.

Come the final whistle, Johnson was still a tad disappointed and he could be seen in conversation with James Maddison as they went around to shake hands with their opponents. Djed Spence could then be seen with his arm across the goalscorer as he spoke with Son and Micky van de Ven, with Archie Gray also speaking to him a few moments later.

Speaking during his time on The Review Show after the win, Johnson opened up on the incident but didn't want to go into it too much.

"Yeah, of course," he said when asked if he wanted to take the penalty. "It's only normal for me to want to take the penalty. I don't want to get into it too much. Obviously the conversation was had and Mathys stepped up and took it."

He added: "I think there's only a certain amount of talking to do before it gets quite messy. I've been in that situation before when I've had people wanting to take the ball off me and it kind of unsettles you a little bit. I know the game was pretty much done but still I don't want to unsettle someone too much or start any disagreements. Once the decision was made, I just had to kind of get on with it."

Johnson has found himself in and out of the team in recent weeks but his double should put him in an excellent position to start in Thursday's crucial Europa League quarter-final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt. Wilson Odobert has tended to get the nod from the right-wing recently but the Frenchman may have made Postecoglou's mind up for him following his second-half cameo appearance in the win over Southampton.

Speaking to football.london in his post-match press conference, Postecoglou stated that he thought Odobert "didn’t look ready when he came on and only came to life the last 10-15 minutes". That in turn may give Johnson the edge over his teammate to play from the off against the German side.

The ex-Nottingham Forest man is Tottenham's top goalscorer in all competitions this season but consistency has been an issue for him with some strong performances followed up by poor ones. In his time with the media after the game, Postecoglou was asked about getting that consistency into the 23-year-old's game.

"It’s tough but I think whenever Brennan plays that he's always a goal threat," admitted the head coach. "He has been really good for us in terms of goals and, even though I don't rate them highly, even his assists have been important to us as today he won the penalty.

"He's really important for us in the way we play and I don't think he has been inconsistent this year. The disruptions we've had in the team and the ability to get some real cohesion in the group has disrupted everyone this season.

"Great for him today, I was really pleased for him, not just goals but his general was really good. He's important for us as a wide player there aren't many around that are a constant goal threat like he is. I'm really pleased for him today."

He added: "With Brennan he's always in the areas we need him to be. He's probably one of the most disciplined players we have in terms of making sure he's always in the right positions and that's why he gets his goals.

"There have been times this season when his form has suffered because of the team more than anything else. I think like we played in the first half Brennan becomes a really important player for us as we're a constant threat, breaking lines, making half-space runs, we were getting balls into the box in the areas we need to and every time we went forward we looked like scoring.

"If we do that then I think it's not a matter of confidence for Brennan, it just gives you more opportunities as the one thing about him is that he will always be in those positions, so it's up to us to match his discipline in that."

If Tottenham can replicate their first-half performance against Southampton and supply Johnson with the ball in the right positions then he could be a pivotal figure in their Europa League double-header against Eintracht Frankfurt. Considering their mixed form throughout the 2024/25 campaign, Spurs, now more than ever, need the Wales international to be a huge weapon in the penalty box as they look to end the season with the Europa League trophy in their possession.

Hopefully this is just the start of things to come from Johnson in the run-in.

Spurs' selection choices vs Chelsea, key player fitness & the loan latest - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

Southampton's relegation from the Premier League has been sealed following their defeat by Tottenham Hotspur, making them the earliest team to be relegated with as many as seven matches still to play.

The Saints set a new unwanted record for early relegation previously held by Ipswich and Derby County who were relegated with six games remaining in 1994/95 and 2007/08 seasons respectively.

Spurs' Brennan Johnson netted a brace before half-time and while Lucas Bergvall's effort was disallowed for offside after a lengthy VAR check, it didn't alter Southampton's collapse to their 25th loss of the campaign. A late goal from Matheus Fernandes led to ironic cheers of 'We are staying up' from Southampton fans, but the descent was inevitable when Johnson was fouled in the box during injury time allowing Mathys Tel to score, despite Johnson being on the verge of a hat-trick.

The Saints now aim to avoid breaking the record for the lowest points tally in a Premier League season, a dubious honour currently held by the 11-point finish of Derby in 2007/08, with Southampton just one point behind at present, reports the Mirror.

Juric is fully aware of that, telling the media before Wednesday's home match against Crystal Palace: "I don't want it to be that we are the worst team in the history of Premier League."

Despite Saints' poor showing, they are only the joint-fourth earliest relegation in Premier League history. They share this dubious distinction with Derby who dropped on March 29, Huddersfield Town relegated on March 30 in the 2018/19 season, Fulham on April 2 of the same year, and Leicester City's 2001/02 squad who met their fate on April 6, matching Southampton's timeline.

The fellow newly-promoted sides last summer, Ipswich and Leicester City, are also facing a likely drop to the Championship after Wolves clinched victory at Portman Road on Saturday, widening the safety margin to an ominous 12 points.

Ange Postecoglou is speaking to the media in his post-match press conference following the 3-1 win against Southampton.

Fresh from the 1-0 defeat at Chelsea on Thursday evening, the Spurs boss made three changes to his side as Pedro Porro, Ben Davies and Brennan Johnson came in.

It was Johnson who scored the opening goal of the contest as he was in the right position in the box to convert high into the roof of the net from Djed Spence's pull back.

Spurs were dominant in possession and Lucas Bergvall was denied a goal following a long VAR check after he had touched home Cristian Romero's header.

The hosts did double their lead on the stroke of half-time as Johnson smartly found the bottom corner with his right foot from James Maddison's header.

Tottenham did push on for more goals after the break and added a third courtesy of Mathys Tel's penalty moments after Mateus Fernandes had halved the deficit.

Our Spurs correspondent Rob Guest is at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and is among those putting the questions to the head coach. Scroll down for the latest updates from the press conference.

Tottenham returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a much-needed 3-1 victory over Southampton. On the losing side on Thursday evening away at Chelsea, Ange Postecoglou made three changes to his team to face Saints with the upcoming Europa League tie against Eintracht Frankfurt in mind.

Micky van de Ven was one of those to drop out of the team as Ben Davies came in, with Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson replacing Destiny Udogie and Wilson Odobert. Tottenham did start rather brightly and deservedly took the lead on 13 minutes with Johnson finishing in style in the box.

They went very close to doubling their advantage on 27 minutes but Cristian Romero's header struck Aaron Ramsdale flush in the face when on course to convert Porro's cross to the back post. Lucas Bergvall did have the ball in the net towards the end of the first half but he was denied a first Premier League goal following a lengthy VAR check that lasted just under five minutes.

Tottenham didn't have to wait too much longer to gain a two-goal cushion as Johnson smartly finished off James Maddison's header on 42 minutes. Mateus Fernandes gave Saints late hope with a powerful drive that Guglielmo Vicario couldn't keep out but Mathys Tel was to restore the two-goal advantage from the penalty spot.

Here is how we rated the Tottenham players in the game against Southampton:

Guglielmo Vicario

Very little to do in the first half and it was much of the same after the break until Kamaldeen Sulemana tested him at his near post and Yukinari Sugawara let one fly late on. Quiet afternoon for the Italian on the whole given he was relatively untroubled for the vast majority of the contest. 7

Pedro Porro

Returned to the team after taking his place on the bench at Chelsea and got a vital touch on the ball to deflect Sulemana's effort against the post. Put in two excellent deliveries that Romero almost converted with his head. Strong display from the Spaniard. 7

Cristian Romero

Was unlucky not to score inside the opening ten minutes with a powerful header from Porro's corner that Ramsdale saved and went close midway through the first half as the goalkeeper took his header flush in the face after Porro picked him out again. Got Spurs moving for their first goal and played a part with his head in the goal that Bergvall saw chalked off. Went on a big upfield run early in the second half but unfortunately lost the ball outside the Saints box. Impressive outing. 8

Ben Davies

Came into the starting XI to partner Romero and had very little to do with Saints just not threatening the hosts. Solid when required. 6

Djed Spence

Switched across to left-back and got an assist to his name for Johnson's opener with a fine pull back for his teammate. Had plenty of opportunities to attack and forced Ramsdale into a save just before the break. Unaware of Fernandes' presence for Saints' goal at the end. 6

Rodrigo Bentancur

Used the ball well in the middle of the park and put in some good tackles to ensure Southampton didn't get much joy. Replaced just before the hour mark. 6

Lucas Bergvall

Involved in the action throughout and was denied a goal following a VAR check that deemed Romero to be offside prior to the Swede touching the ball home. 7

James Maddison

Played his part in Tottenham's opening goal after spreading the ball wide to Son Heung-min and then got an assist for Johnson's second following a smart header. Showcased his talent early in the second half with some great footwork and a switch of play to Son. Decent performance from the midfielder. 7

Brennan Johnson

Was given the nod over Wilson Odobert on the right flank and had a shot blocked by Ryan Manning early on. Converted his next attempt high into the top corner after expertly teaming up with Spence and then added a second close to half-time with a lovely finish following some smart movement. Denied the chance of scoring a hat-trick as Tel took Tottenham's penalty in stoppage time. 8

Dominic Solanke

Worked hard up front and was denied a goal after a strong save low down by Ramsdale. 7

Son Heung-min

Had a role to play in Johnson's first goal after linking up with Spence and saw an effort blocked early in the second half after some wonderful play from Maddison. Replaced just before the hour mark with Thursday's game against Eintracht Frankfurt clearly in mind. 6

Substitutes

Pape Matar Sarr (Rodrigo Bentancur, 57)

Introduced just before the hour mark. 5

Wilson Odobert (Son Heung-min, 57)

Took his place on the left flank and went on a couple of runs. 5

Yves Bissouma (Lucas Bergvall, 79)

On for the final ten minutes and teed Solanke up for a chance. 5

Archie Gray (James Maddison, 79)

Took his place in midfield for the closing stages. 5

Mathys Tel (Dominic Solanke, 87)

Given a matter of minutes up front at the end and netted from the penalty spot. 5

Spurs' selection choices vs Chelsea, key player fitness & the loan latest - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham

The Premier League have jumped in to clear up why Lucas Bergvall was denied his goal during Tottenham's clash with Southampton.

Ange Postecoglou's side will be hoping to build some momentum with victory over the division's basement boys ahead of a crucial Europa League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Lilywhites raced ahead through Brennan Johnson but were quickly denied a second, shortly after, as Bergvall converted inside the area following Son Heung-min's cross.

But after Cristian Romero made first contact with the ball, it was adjudged that the Argentine had indeed gone a little too early.

The decision seemed harsh given Romero was only fractionally offside but, after a quick replay by the VAR official Graham Scott, the goal was chalked off and a statement from the Premier League was quickly released.

"VAR checked the referee's call of goal - and established that Romero was in an offside position in the build-up and recommended that the goal was disallowed," the communication read via X (was Twitter).

It was only a matter of time, however, before Tottenham added a second as Johnson scored a second and doubled his side's lead, sweeping home James Maddison's delivery.

Southampton mustered up little fight as they registered just one shot in the first 45 minutes of the contest.

In what has been a difficult campaign Edin Terzic's squad are now, almost certainly, guaranteed an instant return to the EFL Championship next season.

Spurs will be bidding to add further misery during the second period, especially given the strength of the line-up in north London this afternoon.

Ange Postecoglou has made three changes to his Tottenham team for Sunday's Premier League clash against Southampton. It is a vitally important game for Spurs as they look to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat at Chelsea and also try build some momentum going into their Europa League quarter-final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt next week.

The north London club head into the Southampton game 16th in the Premier League table after both Everton and West Ham picked up a point on Saturday afternoon. As a result of Wolves' late win at Ipswich Town, Spurs are now only two points ahead of Vitor Pereira's side in 17th prior to their game against the West Midlands club at Molineux next Sunday.

Ahead of the Eintracht Frankfurt European tie in midweek, Postecoglou, as expected, has made changes to his Tottenham team for this afternoon's game. Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven and Wilson Odobert have dropped out of the team from the Chelsea defeat, with Pedro Porro, Ben Davies and Brennan Johnson coming into the XI.

Richarlison has returned to the matchday squad for the first time since injuring his calf in the Carabao Cup semi-final defeat at Liverpool at the beginning of February. The Brazilian has been named on the bench to begin with.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning, the Australian revealed that he wouldn't make too many changes for the Southampton match. Asked about rotation, he said: "To a certain extent, we are a little bit beyond that as the group is in a decent place physically where I don’t have to get players gametime. As I said, it is about getting some momentum leading into the game on Thursday. We will make a couple of changes but we won’t make too many."

Here is the Tottenham XI he has selected to take on Southampton:

Confirmed Tottenham XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Davies, Spence; Bentancur, Bergvall, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son.

Substitutes: Kinsky, Udogie, Van de Ven, Sarr, Bissouma, Gray, Odobert, Tel, Richarlison.

Spurs' selection choices vs Chelsea, key player fitness & the loan latest - click here to listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham