Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's early Premier League kickoff as Tottenham Hotspur host Southampton at White Hart Lane. The title dream may have ended for the home side, but they still need to pick themselves up if they are to hold off the challenge of North London rivals Arsenal for second place in the closing week of the season. Southampton still have plenty to fight for too, though, so it should be a good contest between these two today. Let's start with a look the team news...

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STARTING XI: Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Dier, Mason; Lamela, Eriksen, Son; Kane

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUBS: Vorm, Davies, Wimmer, Carroll, Chadli, Winks, Clinton

SOUTHAMPTON STARTING XI: Forster; Martina, Fonte, Van Dijk, Bertrand; Wanyama, Clasie, Mane, Davis, Tadic; Long

SOUTHAMPTON SUBS: Stekelenburg, Cedric, Yoshida, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Pelle, Austin

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, as far as the hosts are concerned Mauricio Pochettino's hands have been tied to some extent today, with Dembele and Alli both suspended for the rest of the season now. Discipline has been a bit of a problem in the last two games, in particular Monday's clash against Chelsea, so Pochettino will want his side to keep their heads today. Despite that, there is only one change to the team that picked up nine bookings against Chelsea, with Ryan Mason replacing Dembele, who will miss the next six games after his eye gouge on Costa.

That means that Harry Kane leads the line once again as he looks to take another step towards winning the Golden Boot. His goal against Chelsea on Monday took him to 25 for the season, although Jamie Vardy kept the race alive by scoring twice yesterday to move within one of his England teammate. He could have been level had he not blazed a second penalty over the crossbar, but Kane remains just in front having scored an impressive 14 goals in his last 15 Premier League appearances.

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He has been ably supported by those behind him this season, and while he won't be linking up with Dele Alli again for Spurs this term, Christian Eriksen has also been a creative force for Pochettino's side. The Dane has 13 assists for the campaign, and only Darren Anderton has ever managed to lay on more goals in a single Premier League campaign for the club (14 in 1994-95). He once again starts today, alongside Son, who also scored against Chelsea last time out, and Lamela.

In a team full of impressive campaigns this season, Eric Dier has still managed to stand out as one of Tottenham's best performers, and he is once again in the holding midfield role this afternoon. There are no changes behind either, with Pochettino now very much set on his first-choice back five. The Belgian pair of Vertonghen and Alderweireld have forged a very good partnership at the heart of that defence, while Walker and Rose have also enjoyed successful seasons.

As for the visitors, it is no surprise that Ronald Koeman has opted for an unchanged lineup this afternoon following their 4-2 win over Manchester City last time out. That means that Long, who opened the scoring in that game, leads the line once again ahead of Pelle and Austin. Pelle was left out altogether last week having failed to impress Koeman in training, but the Italian striker is back on the bench this afternoon. Reports have suggested that he could leave the club this summer, though, with Lazio and even Chelsea rumoured to be interested.

While Long opened the scoring and put in a fine display against Man City, there is no doubt that the star of the show was Sadio Mane. The attacker can be slightly hit and miss at times, but he was right on form with a hat-trick against City, and he has now scored seven goals in his last six Premier League appearances. That follows a run of 19 league games without a goal, which just goes to show how much he has improved in recent weeks.

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Davis and Tadic will join Mane in lending support to Long, while there is plenty of firepower on the bench in the form of Austin and Pelle. Further back in midfield, Victor Wanyama and Jordy Clasie will act as the holding players, and they will have a big role to play considering the form that the likes of Eriksen and Lamela have been in this season. If they can stop the service to Kane up front then they will go a long way towards stopping Spurs today.

At the back, Virgil van Dijk once again starts fresh from committing his long-term future to the club by signing a new six-year deal. Fonte partners him at the heart of the defence as ever, while there is another start for Martina on the right side of the back four. Bertrand, who will be hopeful of beating competition from Tottenham's Danny Rose for a starting role at Euro 2016 this summer, makes up the quartet, while Forster continues in goal behind them.

Both sides have players in good form who can hurt the opposition, then, but Spurs will go into the game as favourites despite the disappointment of missing out on the title this season. They would have been watching on enviously as Leicester collected the trophy yesterday, but it was always going to be a tough ask to catch to Foxes over the closing stages of the season. One thing is for certain - they can look back on this campaign with a huge amount of pride having surpassed everyone's expectations already.

The main thing for Spurs over these final two games of the season will be to secure second place, which is the least they they deserve this season. Pochettino needs to pick his side back up after that draw with Chelsea as Arsenal are still in the race for second, and Spurs will certainly not want to finish below their North London rivals yet again after such a good campaign. They haven't finished above the Gunners since 1995, but a victory this afternoon would virtually guarantee it due to their superior goal difference.

There are still a number of other milestones that Spurs will be keen to hit over the last two games of the season, and they could achieve them with one match to spare with a good result today. Just one more point will guarantee them their highest ever Premier League finish, and one more goal would see them set a new club-record tally from the Premier League era too. However, defeat today would give Arsenal the chance to move level on points with a win against Manchester City later this afternoon, leaving Spurs then needing a win against what could be a desperate Newcastle side on the final day.

They will be kicking themselves if they do let second place slip away now, having dropped too many points in recent weeks. They haven't been losing games - indeed it is now eight matches since their were beaten in the Premier League - but they have drawn three of their last five outings to slip 10 points behind Leicester now. There have been dropped points against Liverpool, West Brom and Chelsea, which hasn't quite been good enough to keep pace with the Foxes and may have allowed Arsenal back in the race with them too.

Their last two games have seen them drop points from winning positions too, and when you consider that they have now let 17 points slip away from such positions this season, things could have been very different had they been able to hold on to leads a little better. Only the Merseyside duo of Liverpool and Everton have let more points slip from winning positions, although Spurs have also rescued a league-high 19 points from losing positions this term.

Perhaps the main thing in Tottenham's favour in the race for second place is their goal difference. Even if Spurs do fall to defeat today, there is no realistic chance of them falling behind Arsenal should the Gunners beat Man City. Tottenham boast the best goal difference in the entire division and are 14 goals better off than their North London rivals, so the gap between the two sides is effectively four points with only two games of the campaign remaining - something that will make Spurs feel a lot better about themselves.

They should be confident of effectively ending the race for second today, though. A win would more or less do it due to that goal difference, and Spurs are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League matches at White Hart Lane, stretching back to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of champions Leicester on January 13. They have won five of those seven games and have only been beaten twice in front of their own fans all season, although they still only have the fifth-best home record in the division.

Southampton will enter the match full of confidence themselves, though, having been in fine form in recent months to keep their hopes of a European finish alive. The Saints currently sit in seventh place, although the permutations for qualifying for Europe this season are still not exactly clear-cut. As things stand, seventh may not be good enough depending on what happens over the closing weeks of the season, but it could also go the other way and eighth place may prove to be enough for a spot in the Europa League next term.

Koeman will be keen to eliminate all doubt and simply finish the season as strongly as possible themselves, though, and a win this afternoon against their former manager would lift them up to sixth place in the table. West Ham, who currently occupy sixth place, will have a game in hand over the Saints, but following their 4-1 home defeat to Swansea last time out there is no guarantee that they will make that count. Even fifth place is not entirely out of the question, although they would need to win their final two games of the season and need Manchester United to lose both of theirs for that to happen.

They will also have a points total in mind this year as they look to set a new club-record for the Premier League era. Their current best showing was last season under Koeman, with Southampton finishing on 60 points then. They are just three short of that this time around, meaning that they need at least a point this afternoon to stand any chance of beating it. They face Crystal Palace at home next weekend which, considering the Eagles may have one eye on the FA Cup final and have now secured Premier League survival, will be a game Southampton will be confident of winning.

Koeman deserves huge credit for the job he has done in charge of Southampton since taking over from his opposite number this afternoon. Pochettino's own performance in charge of the club was lauded, but he left St Mary's with a win percentage of just 35% compared to Koeman's, which currently stands at 46% - the best of any Southampton manager in Premier League history. In addition to getting one over on his predecessor today, Koeman will also want to win as Tottenham are the only Premier League side that he hasn't beaten during his time in charge of the club so far.

They come into the game as one of the form teams in the league having lost only one of their last eight outings - and that was away to champions Leicester. They have won five of those games, including three of their last four. They have scored 12 goals in those four games too, and while they don't exactly have a reputation as a free-scoring side, they have hit four in both of their last two games, recording back-to-back 4-2 victories over Aston Villa and Manchester City respectively.

That has all contributed to Southampton collecting 33 points in the Premier League so far this calendar year - a tally that leaves them behind only the top two of Leicester and Tottenham in the 2016 form book. Spurs themselves, who as I've already mentioned have been in fantastic form this season, have only amassed two more points that the Saints since the turn of the year, which just goes to show how impressive they have been of late.

They haven't been quite as good away from home, though, and their record on the road this season stands at an inconsistent six wins, six draws and six defeats. They have only lost two of their last eight away games in the league, but have also not won consecutive away league games since February 2015 - a record that they could end this afternoon. Looking even further back, they only have six wins from their last 25 away league outings.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at White Hart Lane, which means that it is time for a prediction! This is a tough one to call, with a big question mark over how Spurs will respond now that the title is beyond their grasp. Southampton have been in such good form recently that they will fancy their chances of coming away with at least a point, but the desire to keep Arsenal at arm's length should be enough for Spurs to keep their focus. I'll go for a 2-1 win for the hosts!

Spurs have dominated this fixture in recent years, going seven league games without defeat against the Saints and winning six of those. That run stretches back 11 years to 2005, and you have to go even further back for Southampton's last victory at White Hart Lane.

That came in September 2003, when James Beattie scored twice to help Southampton to a 3-1 victory. They have visited on four occasions since then and have lost each time, including the corresponding fixture last term when Christian Eriksen scored the only goal of the game five minutes before half time.

Spurs also won the reverse fixture back in December as Kane and Alli scored within three minutes of each other just before half time to hand Tottenham a 2-0 win as Pochettino returned to St Mary's. That was a time when Southampton were really struggling for form, though, and they will feel a lot more confident of picking up a good result today.

Right, we're just a couple of minutes away from kickoff in North London now. This is still a big game for both sides despite the main prize of the title having escaped Spurs. It should be a cracking contest!

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Tottenham get us underway on a glorious day of sunshine in the capital.

Tottenham certainly haven't started as though they think that their season is already over. They are looking to get off to a quick start and have begun with a good degree of urgency to their game.

CHANCE! Big chance for Spurs early on, but Forster makes a fine save to keep the hosts at bay. Martina committed himself to a diagonal ball over the top but caught underneath it, allowing Rose to dart in behind him down the left. His subsequent low cross into the middle is a good one too and Eriksen meets it on the stretch, but Forster gets down to make the save.

Southampton are really struggling to get their foot on the ball at the moment, with Spurs dominating both possession and territory in the opening exchanges. It has been a lively start from the hosts!

Eriksen in particular has been heavily involved in these opening minutes, which is helping Spurs to dictate things at the moment. Southampton haven't been allowed to get going so far.

CHANCE! Southampton finally do come to life and they almost open the scoring against the run of play too! A clever pass is slid through to Tadic down the left channel, and he has Davis in the middle waiting for a tap-in. However, Tadic is caught between two minds and puts too much on his low ball into the box, sending it behind for a goal kick. That would have been a certain goal with a better ball!

More good pressure from Spurs as an inviting ball into the box arrives from the left, but can't be tapped in. Southampton then threaten on the counter-attack themselves, but Davis's pass towards Mane is poor.

Well, it's been an encouraging opening 15 minutes to the game! We thought it might be a good one considering the form of both teams, and they haven't disappointed so far.

Spurs have the breakthrough, and it is Son who gets the goal! Koeman, and in particular Forster, will be disappointed with how it came about, with Son playing a one-two with Lamela to break into the box. The return pass looks to be too heavy, but Forster hesitates and allows Son to get there first and take the ball round the keeper. The angle is still against him, but he keeps his composure to dribble inside before firing the ball into an empty net. A cool finish, but it was avoidable from the visitors' perspective.

The hosts have shown no sign of any hangover after Monday, which will delight Pochettino. It wasn't only the fact that they missed out on the title on Monday, but also the way they lost their heads that cast doubt over their mentality going into this game. They have dispelled all of those concerns already here, though.

One thing Spurs have done particularly well in this opening 20 minutes, and indeed all season, is to close down the opposition really well when Southampton have possession. They are hunting in packs all over the pitch.

SHOT! Shooting chance for the visitors as Tadic is afforded space to let fly at goal, but his effort is never troubling Lloris in the Spurs goal.

Half a chance for Spurs as Lamela finds Walker down the right, and the full-back plays an early low ball into the box. Kane has made the run to the front post, but leaves himself with too much to do and can only steer his shot off target.

Rose does really well to slide in and win the ball back right on the edge of his own penalty area, but he then tries to dribble his way out of danger and only succeeds in inviting more pressure. Mane goes chasing it down and Southampton do win it back inside the Spurs box, but they can't get a shot away.

CHANCE! Decent opening for Spurs as a ball up the field finds Eriksen, who tries to nod it into the path of Kane. It instead falls to Lamela, who feeds it back to Eriksen, but his shot is tame and easy for Forster.

SHOT! Another effort at goal from Spurs as Kane picks the ball up in midfield and drives towards goal before firing a low striker towards the bottom corner, but it goes a couple of yards past the post.

Really good play from Mane as he runs directly at the Spurs defence before squeezing a pass out left for Bertrand. The full-back sends an enticing low ball right across the face of goal, but Rose is there to put it behind for a corner.

Southampton level things up out of the blue at White Hart Lane! With Walker down on the opposite side of the field, Southampton carry on and attack down their right flank. The ball is fed in to Tadic down the channel and he manages to squeeze a pass inside to Davis, who applies the one-touch finish from close range. Lloris got a hand to the ball, but couldn't keep it out.

Walker needed treatment in the immediate aftermath of that goal having hurt himself in an aerial duel with Bertrand, but he looks like he will be fine to continue here.

This time it is Mane who needs a bit of treatment after Lamela landed right on top of him following a sliding challenge. He too will be fine to continue, though.

We're coming to the end of the first half here, and both managers will be relatively content with what they have seen so far. Koeman may be the happier of the two being on course for an away draw, but both sides have played pretty well in this first half.

Spurs win two corners in quick succession, but both get cleared out as far as Walker and Rose respectively. Both full-backs have a crack at goal, but neither are able to trouble Forster.

The tempo of this game has just slowed down in the last five minutes or so, with both sides seemingly content to go into the break all square.

The home fans want a yellow card for Martina after he threw the ball away having been penalised, but Jonathan Moss is right not to consider the calls for a booking. Nothing in that at all.

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this first half.

Davis threatens again here as he breaks forward before finding Tadic out wide and racing into the box for the return. Tadic almost finds him with a low cross into the middle, but Mason is back there to make an important interception.

CHANCE! Big chance right at the death of the half, and it falls to Kane. He chases what looks like a lost cause and nips in behind Fonte, who really should have just cleared it into the stands. Kane races inside, but then can't beat Forster from a tight angle as the chance goes begging.

Jonathan Moss brings an end to the first half at White Hart Lane, and we're all square between Spurs and Southampton at the interval. It has been a good game for the most part so far, with both sides playing some decent football. A draw is probably a fair scoreline at the break, although both sides will still feel as though they have a chance to win this game.

The opening goal came after 16 minutes, and it was a poor one from Southampton's perspective. Son raced forward before playing a one-two with Lamela and breaking into his box on the return pass. Forster looked to be favourite to get there first, but he seemed to pull out of the challenge and that allowed Son to take it past the keeper. The angle was still against the Tottenham man at that point, but he kept his composure well to dribble inside and apply the finish.

Southampton were level just past the half-hour mark, however, with Davis restoring parity out of nothing for the visitors. The ball was played down the right channel for Tadic, who was allowed to squeeze a pass into the middle for Davis at the near post. Alderweireld wasn't close enough to the Southampton midfielder, and that allowed him to apply a first-time finish from close range that Lloris couldn't keep out despite getting his hand to the ball.

The majority of the other chances have gone the way of Spurs, who made a bright start to the match to dispel any concerns that there may be a hangover from Monday's draw with Chelsea. They almost took the lead inside five minutes when Rose played a low ball into the box for Eriksen, who was arriving late. The Dane had to stretch to reach it, however, which prevented him from getting any real power behind his effort and Forster was able to make a smart stop.

Kane also had a decent chance at the end of the half when he nipped in to steal the ball off Fonte before cutting inside and heading for goal. Lamela was calling for a cut-back, but Kane went for goal himself and couldn't beat Forster from close range.

KICKOFF: Southampton get us back underway for the second half here at White Hart Lane.

This match has quickly fallen back into a similar rhythm as the first half, with both sides putting the opposition under good pressure. Southampton make one bright break forward, but Mane doesn't put the ball into the box where Long is waiting.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the afternoon is shown to Mane for a sliding challenge on Rose that gives Spurs a free kick in a decent crossing position...

Lamela lifts the ball into the box, but it is easily dealt with by Southampton's defence.

Spurs are enjoying plenty of good territory at the moment, but Southampton are proving very difficult for the home side to break down. It has been a resolute performance from the Saints.

CHANCE! Big chance for the visitors to take the lead as Tadic whips a lovely cross into the middle that Long rises to meet. He isn't under particularly great pressure and he should do better, but he only manages to steer his header wide.

Almost a chance for Spurs at the other end here as Eriksen is given all the time in the world to put a cross into the box. Kane is attacking it at the back post, but it goes just too high for the striker.

You can sense that the fans are just beginning t get a little more frustrated as time continues to tick by here. They are finding it difficult to create anything at the moment, with Southampton doing a good job of keeping the hosts at arm's length.

SOUTHAMPTON SUB: Change for the visitors here as Oriol Romeu replaces Clasie.

Kane has a go from range as the ball breaks to him around 25 yards from goal, but he is under pressure and fires his effort well off target.

Southampton have only seen 30% of the ball in this second half so far, but they haven't looked like conceding in that time. Indeed, with Long's header they are the team who have come closest to scoring since the interval.

It's all a bit flat around White Hart Lane at the moment, which isn't a word that has been used to describe the Spurs team much this season.

CHANCE! Vertonghen almost changes that as he peels away from Wanyama from a corner before planting a header towards the top corner. It looks like it is floating in too, but Van Dijk makes an important contribution to nod it over the bar.

SOUTHAMPTON SUB: Another change for the visitors here as Mane makes way to be replaced by Graziano Pelle.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Tottenham also make a change, with Son departing and being replaced by Clinton N'Jie.

Southampton come forward on the break and Tadic hangs a high ball towards the middle that Lloris comes for. He claims it well, but then collides with Vertonghen and momentarily spills the ball. However, he quickly recovers before Pelle can take advantage.

SHOT! Spurs are just beginning to find a little bit more space in the Southampton half now. Eriksen is the latest to pick the ball up inside the area, but his shot is blocked by his own player.

It is a very hot day in London today, so much so that referee Jonathan Moss has just called for a drinks break.

Out of nothing, Southampton take the lead! It is Davis again as he picks the ball up in the left channel before playing a one-two with Tadic. The return ball to him is a little heavy, but he gets it back under control and manages to sneak a shot into the bottom corner. It was a tame effort in truth, but Lloris appeared to see it a little late and couldn't get to it.

YELLOW CARD! Romeu picks up the game's second yellow card, and he can have no complaints for a cynical challenge on Eriksen.

Chance for Spurs here as Wanyama brings down Lamela in a very dangerous position...

SHOT! It is Lamela rather than Eriksen who goes for goal, but he curls his effort well over the crossbar.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Another change for the hosts sees Nacer Chadli replace Mason.

Almost a glorious chance for Southampton to get a third here as Long is released through with only Alderweireld back there for the hosts. The Spurs defender fails to deal with it, which almost sends Long clean through on goal, but his touch is a little heavy and runs through to Lloris.

Southampton have just eight minutes to hold out now, although it must be said that they haven't looked like conceding in this second half so far. They have been very comfortable at the back.

YELLOW CARD! Long goes into the book for a collision with Lloris after the striker had slipped when chasing a ball over the top. It looked quite bad, but there was no intent and a booking is a little harsh.

Half a chance for Dier as Walker crosses one into the box for the midfielder, but he is put under enough pressure to stop him getting a clean head to the ball.

SHOT! An opening for Southampton at the other end as Pelle flicks the ball on for Long, but his volley flies well off target.

SOUTHAMPTON SUB: The visitors make their third and final change of the afternoon as James Ward-Prowse replaces Tadic.

There will be five minutes of added time at the end of this match.

SHOT! Long has been a really good outlet for Southampton today, and he breaks forward again here before cutting back and sliding a pass across to Ward-Prowse. He lets fly, but his effort flashes narrowly off target.

CHANCE! Huge chance for Spurs to steal a point late on! A free kick hits Wanyama on the way through and the ball drops to Chadli, but he can't tuck it away when he really should score, with Forster making a big save.

There is the full-time whistle at White Hart Lane, and it is a hugely impressive victory for Southampton as they become only the third team to beat Spurs on their own patch this season. The hosts took the lead through Son in the first half, but Steven Davis scored twice to turn the game around and pick up a win that takes Southampton up to sixth in the table. Tottenham, meanwhile, remain just three points above Arsenal in the race for second place.

That is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's game as Southampton give their European hopes a major boost with a come-from-behind victory over Tottenham at White Hart Lane. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. Allow me also to point you in the direction of our reader awards for this season, which you can cast your votes for by clicking here. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!