London - Tottenham Hotspur held their course for a Europa League finish after head coach Mauricio Pochettino left former club Southampton with a hard-earned 2-2 draw on Saturday.
Graziano Pelle twice put Southampton ahead at St Mary's, but a pulsating game saw Spurs respond through Erik Lamela and Nacer Chadli to close on a return to European football next season.
Southampton remain on their coat-tails, but will see this as a missed opportunity not to just overtake their rivals in the Premier League table, but also gain revenge over their returning manager.
The hostile welcome that some had predicted for Pochettino did not materialise, although the Argentine received a few jeers upon his arrival in the dug-out and was the target of taunts from the home fans.
The low-key reception was perhaps due to the fact that both of these sides find their seasons in danger of petering out.
But Tottenham's quest for European qualification remains in their own hands, while Southampton are still in the mix to join them as they close in on their highest top-flight finish in 30 years.
The home team started purposefully and moments after Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris had foiled France team-mate Morgan Schneiderlin from a James Ward-Prowse corner, they took a 29th-minute lead through Pelle.
It was all of Tottenham's making as a catalogue of errors contributed to their downfall.
AFP
