Gallery: Player Ratings: Tottenham 2-1 Southampton

Aurier – 3

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OK, we’ve worked through the wannabe centre backs who have filled in and we ended up today with a painful reminder of what we already knew: Aurier does what Aurier does. He is brainless, reckless, a liability. Should we be surprised? We all knew it. When we sold the apparent defensive liability that was Trippier, were we thinking ‘at least we’ve got a reliable defender to replace him’? Were we? However, we also learnt something else: if we can sacrifice his presence in midfield, have we a possible temporary replacement?

The mood at the end of this game wasn’t just relief, it was a passionate celebration, a celebration of a ‘backs to the wall’ performance of discipline (nb Mon. Aurier) and organisation. It was reflected in Vertonghen and Alderweireld’s immediate rush to embrace Lloris on the final whistle, rescued as he was from utter ignominy.

Because it mattered: anything less than victory today and Spurs’ spluttering season would have descended in a giddying tailspin. Who knows, the benefits of this ‘team’ performance may have a more lasting impact than the easy fluency of the Palace win.

After a nervy first quarter where Spurs’ anxiety, faced with the significance of the outcome, betrayed the inevitable loss of confidence resulting from recent events. Then, a quarter of madness: a blistering Ndombele goal, a linesman’s absolute folly that brought about Aurier’s second card, Lloris loses his mind, and Harry rescues us when his team looked like nothing more than empty bodies reeling from the shock.

And then that second half. Is it possible that it can heal the seeping wounds of all the coverage of dissent in the camp? Can it mark the beginning of a season for The Mighty Spurs?