Europa League: Tottenham’s unbeaten run ends in thrilling 2-3 loss to Galatasaray
Tottenham Hotspur’s flawless start in the Europa League came to an end on Thursday, as they fell 3-2 to a resilient Galatasaray side.
Southampton, on New Year’s Day, stunned Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at the St Mary’s Stadium to register their third win in the last four games. Danny Ings’ 17th-minute strike was the only difference between the teams.
Saints striker @IngsDanny has netted nine goals in his last nine #PL starts 🔥#SOUTOT @SouthamptonFC pic.twitter.com/QuZbgeckmr
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 2, 2020
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The Spurs, who had a great chance to overtake Manchester United and climb to the fifth position, now find themselves stuck at sixth with 30 points courtesy of the defeat. The Saints, on the other hand, have risen to the 12th spot with 25 points.
The hosts started the game as the better team and frustrated the Jose Mourinho-led side during the initial minutes before taking the lead in the 17th. A volley from Ings into the bottom right-hand corner of the net was enough to beat Tottenham goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.
The rest of the half saw Mourinho’s men pressing hard in search of an equaliser. But a determined defensive unit from the home team made sure their net was not disturbed in the first half as the side walked into the tunnel with the scoreline of 1-0.
As both the teams came all guns blazing, the second half witnessed some VAR drama like most of the matches in the Premier League this season. A desperate appeal from Southampton for a penalty for an alleged handball was turned down.
Harry Kane had equalised for Tottenham in the 72nd minute but his goal was denied after he was ruled offside. Kane’s trouble did not end there as he was substituted by the manager after pulling a hamstring in the 83rd minute.
The final minutes saw the anxious Spurs trying hard for a respite but Southampton proved a tad too strong for them. Meanwhile, Tottenham manager Mourinho was also booked for allegedly spying into the opposition’s dugout.
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