Southampton 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham moved into the top four after winning 2-1 at Southampton but they were forced to hang on to their slender lead at the end.

Andre Villas-Boas' side completely dominated a one-sided first half, but Southampton were transformed after the interval and nervous Spurs were relieved in the end to hear the final whistle. Saints started the match brightly but, after Jermain Defoe had wasted a good chance to break the deadlock, the visitors took the lead in the 15th minute when former Southampton star Gareth Bale headed Tom Huddlestone's cross past Artur Boruc. The goal seemed to rock the home side, who were woeful for the rest of the first half and they were fortunate to only concede one more goal six minutes before the break when Clint Dempsey bundled the ball home from close range. However, Nigel Adkins' side came out after the interval a different team while Spurs seemed content to stroll through the final 45 minutes. The north London outfit were nearly made to pay for their lackadaisical attitude when Jay Rodriguez halved the deficit midway through the second period, beating Brad Friedel from a tight angle. With Adam Lallana pulling the strings, Southampton suddenly realised they had a chance to snatch a point from a game in which they had been outclassed for 45 minutes. However, although former Burnley star Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert had half-chances for the home side and Morgan Schneiderlin had a powerful late drive blocked by Sandro, Southampton could not grab an equaliser and they remain in the relegation zone.