Tottenham’s hopes of securing a top-four finish in the Premier League were dashed by a late Southampton comeback, resulting in a 3-3 draw on Saturday, while Leeds boosted their chances of avoiding relegation with a 4-2 victory over Wolves.
Tottenham appeared poised to overtake Manchester United for third place when they led the league’s bottom side, Southampton, 3-1 with only 13 minutes remaining at St. Mary’s Stadium. However, Theo Walcott scored his first goal in nearly two years, followed by James Ward-Prowse’s stoppage-time penalty, which earned Southampton a critical point.
Tottenham’s Pedro Porro opened the scoring with a powerful finish in first-half stoppage time.
Southampton responded a minute after the break when Che Adams converted Walcott’s cross.
Despite continued speculation about Harry Kane’s future, the England captain’s form was unaffected as he rose to head his 21st Premier League goal of the season from Dejan Kulusevski’s cross. Ivan Perisic’s strike from the edge of the box then extended Spurs’ lead.
However, even that two-goal advantage was insufficient for Antonio Conte’s side. Walcott’s side-footed goal set the stage for a thrilling finale, and Pape Sarr was subsequently penalized for fouling Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Tottenham goalkeeper Fraser Forster, a former Southampton player, was unable to prevent Ward-Prowse from scoring the equalizer, leaving Spurs only two points ahead of Newcastle in fifth place, having played two more games.
Leeds claimed a crucial victory over fellow relegation contenders Wolves in an action-packed encounter at Molineux, which saw the hosts end the game with just nine men.
Despite having only won once in their previous 13 league games, Leeds surged into a commanding 3-0 lead, thanks to goals from Jack Harrison, Luke Ayling, and Rasmus Kristensen.
Wolves responded with two goals in eight minutes from Jonny and Matheus Cunha, but their hopes of a comeback were dashed when Jonny was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle, and Leeds sealed the win with a late goal from Rodrigo.
Elsewhere, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa continued their impressive form with a comfortable 3-0 win over Bournemouth at Villa Park, with goals from Douglas Luiz, Jacob Ramsey, and Emiliano Buendia.
The victory lifted Villa above Chelsea into 10th place and within four points of the European spots.
Meanwhile, Brentford missed the opportunity to leapfrog Liverpool into sixth place, as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Leicester.
Mathias Jensen opened the scoring for the Bees, but Harvey Barnes equalized for the Foxes, who moved a point clear of the relegation zone.
Finally, Everton faced a tough test as they travelled to face a resurgent Chelsea later on Saturday, with the Toffees aiming to move further away from the drop zone.
