Twice Southampton were pegged back in their battle with West Ham at the London Stadium, but they would not be denied a third time, as the Saints prolonged the Hammers’ misery with a thrilling 3-2 success in the capital.
After Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma had cancelled out efforts from James Ward-Prowse and Mohamed Elyounoussi, Ward-Prowse’s pinpoint free kick found the head of Jan Bednarek with 20 minutes remaining to end Southampton’s miserable winless run.
Hasenhuttl’s side had gone six top-flight games without a win before prevailing at the London Stadium, and as a result the Saints have moved up to 14th in the table ahead of Everton, but they are only one point clear of the Toffees having played a game more.
The hosts will therefore continue to look over their shoulder – especially with 18th-placed Burnley nine points behind with three games in hand – but they can take solace in the fact that they are unbeaten in five Premier League games at home before Antonio Conte pays a visit.
After Nuno Espirito Santo had overseen a dampening 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the early months of the season, it was Tottenham’s turn to hit the Eagles for three with no reply this time around, as Conte’s side dominated proceedings on home soil.
Lucas Moura was the star of the show with a goal and two assists on the day, with the Brazilian setting up Harry Kane and Son Heung-min either side of his header to extend Conte’s strong start to life back in the Premier League.
Streams Links => Stream 1 HD ¦Stream 2 HD ¦ Stream 3 HD
The Lilywhites are now unbeaten in six Premier League games since Conte took the reins – winning four of them – and they took advantage of the Saints’ win over West Ham to move up to fifth in the table on Boxing Day, six points behind Arsenal having played three games fewer.
As impressive as Spurs have been on home soil this month – with each of their last six fixtures taking place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – Conte has only overseen two away games with the Lilywhites and has failed to win either of them, with no visiting fan needing reminding of that fateful night against NS Mura.
Spurs won both Premier League games against Southampton last season by an average scoreline of 7-3 – netting five of those goals at St Mary’s – and the pressure is now on Conte’s side to translate that positive home form into results on the road
