First half goals earn Spurs 2-1 win over Southampton

Tottenham Hotspurs overcame the absence of Harry Kane to secure a hard-fought 2-1 win over Southampton to ensure they remain second in the table heading into the international break.
Goals from Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli — the latter a penalty kick — in an effective display on Sunday underlined that Spurs are more than what many may think.
They are more than being a team of just their talismanic leading goalscorer who is with 24 goals.
The win extends Tottenham’s club-record run of successive home Premier League wins to 10, the same number of points by which they trail leaders Chelsea.
Southampton lost in-form striker Manolo Gabbiadini to injury in the first half.
But they gave a good account of themselves in the second, at the start of which James Ward-Prowse scored from close range.
However, they were unable to gain parity as Tottenham’s stubborn backline and industrious central midfield held them at bay.
The defeat leaves the Saints 10th in the table.
They now need an improbable 30 points from the 33 left available to them in their remaining 11 games to match last season’s tally of 63.
With Chelsea in superb form, this season’s title race is unlikely to go as deep into the season as the last campaign.
But Tottenham will be hopeful of improving on their third-place finish by at least one spot.