Injury concerns also emerged as Tottenham Hotspur beat Southampton 5-0 at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday night as returning defender Jed Spence was full-time He was limping due to injury during the game.
The game was decided within the first 25 minutes, with Spurs breaking through Southampton’s defense with ruthless efficiency. Just 40 seconds after kick-off, James Maddison opened the scoring and Spence provided a wonderful assist. This was his first Premier League start this season.
Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski and Papu-Martar Sarr scored before Maddison scored his second goal of the night from an incredible angle just before half-time. The score of 5-0 at half-time stunned the fans at St. Mary’s Stadium, and many home fans evacuated the stadium before the final whistle.
Despite their attacking prowess, the win came at a cost to Spurs, with Spence limping off after the game, sparking concerns about his ability to move on.
Jed Spencer’s return was one of the positives ahead of the Tottenham Hotspur game. The young right-back has impressed in pre-season under Angie Postkoglu, performing well and providing the assist for Maddison’s opener.
However, Tottenham reporter Alasdair Gold reported after the game that Spence was limping as he walked towards the traveling fans.
Gold provided an update X:
“Jed Spence was seen limping away after walking towards the Spurs fans. Hopefully it was just a bit of fatigue and cramping after playing football for an extended period of time for the first time in a long time.”
Jed Spence walks towards Tottenham fans before limping away. Hopefully just a little fatigue and cramping after playing football for an extended period of time for the first time in a long time.
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) December 15, 2024
Grandpa Spence: Tottenham journey so far
Since joining Tottenham in 2022, Spence has experienced a challenging journey. Originally signed under Antonio Conte, who viewed Spence as a club signing rather than his preference, Spence struggled to secure a place in the squad. He was loaned to Rennes, Leeds United and Genoa, with his most fruitful performance in Serie A.
In the summer of 2024, Spence returned to Tottenham Hotspur and, under the leadership of coach Ange Postecoglou, performed well in the pre-season and broke into the first team.
On August 19, he made his season debut as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Leicester City. In September, he scored his first competitive goal for Tottenham in a 2-1 EFL Cup win over Coventry City. Recognizing his development, Tottenham extended Spence’s contract in October 2024 until 2028.
Ange Postecoglou suffers from worsening headaches after injury
Spence’s potential injury is another blow for Anj Postkoglu, who has struggled with an injury crisis since arriving at the club. Tottenham Hotspur are severely depleted of defensive options with Christian Romero, Mickey van de Veen, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and Ben Davies all sidelined.
To add insult to injury, Destiny Udoji was forced off in the first half against Southampton, leaving Postkoglu depleted at the back ahead of the upcoming game.
