Ryan Mason got off to a great start as interim Tottenham Hotspur manager yesterday with a 2-1 win over Southampton but things weren’t looking so rosy at half-time.
The Lilywhites went into the break 1-0 down having been outplayed by the Saints for large parts of the opening encounter, with Danny Ings scoring from a corner.
However, the second 45 was a different story as the Tottenham lads came out with so much more desire and aggression, especially in the middle of the pitch.
The quality eventually showed when Lucas Moura’s shot in the box rebounded to Gareth Bale who effortlessly clipped one into the top corner from a tight angle.
Heung-min Son thought he had scored a second later in the half, only to have a cool finish chalked off as Moura was adjudged to have been offside and in the keeper’s line of sight.
However, Sonny did finally win the game from the spot after Sergio Reguilon was fouled right on the edge of the penalty area.
After the game, Mason revealed what he told the lads at half-time (Football London): “It was just about giving them the belief, the energy, to have the bravery to play and express themselves but within that we had to compete as well because I felt there were some situations in the first half where they were quicker to the first ball.
“The duels and tackles I felt they were coming out on top but we changed that second half. We gained full control of the match and we played the game pretty much in their half I thought and I thought we fully deserved to win the match overall.”
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