Tottenham Hotspur have ended their four-match winless run in the Premier League with a 1-0 victory at home to Southampton.
It took just four minutes for the first meaningful opportunity to come about as Jan Vertonghen's header from a corner was cleared off the line by Ryan Bertrand.
Spurs threatened again midway through the opening half as they looked the more likely to break the deadlock, but Erik Lamela's drive was pushed away by Fraser Forster.
Forster had to be alert once more 10 minutes later when Christian Eriksen tried his luck from long range, with the goalkeeper keeping the Dane's effort out.
However, the Saints shotstopper could do nothing about the only goal of the game as some quick passing around the edge of the penalty area ended with Eriksen drilling a low shot into the net.
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Nacer Chadli almost made it 2-0 in the final minute of the first half, but he clipped the inside of the post with a measured effort.
Southampton were defending around their own penalty area at the start of the second period as Spurs pushed hard for a second goal.
Despite being on the back foot, the visitors came close to levelling the match against the run of play on the hour, only for Hugo Lloris to save Victor Wanyama's powerful drive.
Chances were rare for the remainder of the game, though Spurs wanted a penalty on 75 minutes when Emmanuel Adebayor was brought down in the box by Jose Fonte. However, the home side's appeals were correctly waved away by the referee.
While Tottenham continued to pose more problems than their opponents, Southampton should have got themselves level with five minutes left through Saido Mane, but the forward somehow fired wide from Bertrand's cross.
Jack Prescott
