Football: Le Tissier makes Tottenham pay: London all-stars stumble to a home defeat against Southampton after Klinsmann gives them perfect start

Tottenham. . .1

Southampton. .2

AT THE start of a week in which English football must attempt to gain the upper hand on their counterparts from abroad, it was appropriate that one of Terry Venables' international squad should last night trump yet another ace from Jurgen Klinsmann's hand of winning cards. The German's sixth goal in five games looked to have kept the Tottenham bandwagon rolling, until Matthew Le Tissier struck with two late goals for Southampton.

The first, in the 75th minute, came from the penalty spot at the climax of a move the Super Saint had engineered with one of his long passes of laser accuracy. Neil Heaney's scorching surge was halted illegally by Sol Campbell, and the young Tottenham player was ordered off to cap a depressing night for the Spurs defence.

There had been grave misgivings about that area of the home side's play all night; when down to 10 men they made a flimsy barrier against a now-powerful Southampton onslaught. They were to come apart one more time when Jeff Kenna sent in a cross from the right touchline, and a Stuart Nethercott miskick allowed Le Tissier to round off his successful spell with just two minutes of the game remaining.

So Alan Ball, he of the 1966 vintage, had carried the day over those other World Cup winners, Klinsmann and the Tottenham manager Ossie Ardiles. It was Southampton's first victory of the season and Tottenham's second successive home defeat.

White Hart Lane had got used to that feeling last season when only the beating of Southampton ended a barren run of 13 games without a win on home soil and assured them of their Premiership status. This time, with the introduction of their foreign imports, the Spurs supporter believed it had been consigned to the dim and distant past.

Yet while their team continues to sparkle when they cross the half-way line, they still have a problem when it comes to locking out the opposition, and that failing has not been masked by their exhilarating start to the campaign.

Last night before the television cameras it was exposed as never before, and no one was left in any doubt as to why they need the introduction of another Romanian, the pounds 2.9m Gheorghe Popescu, who was forced to watch while he awaits his work permit.

Ball had never forgiven himself for the negative approach he took here last season, and last night he decided to take the opposite tack, believing 'that if we fought fire with fire it might produce something for us.' Tottenham were in front after only five minutes, but their initial advantage was an illusion which could not stand the test of time.

That they were able to hold their lead until the 75th minute was only due to the inability of the visitors to take advantage of the openings that came their way. Before half-time, Heaney found Le Tissier with a deep cross but he was unable to steer a free header on target. When Jim Magilton aimed a rasping shot at the crossbar, Ian Walker was equal to Le Tissier's low effort with a splendid save to his left.

Klinsmann had shown that his scoring instincts are as sharp as ever despite a 13-day break from the Premiership, when he finished off his own deadly burst by tucking home the rebound after Bruce Grobbelaar had parried his shot, only to see Francis Benali get in the way of Darren Anderton's follow-up.

White Hart Lane sat back in anticipation of another continental feast, but Southampton grew stronger and stronger through the indomitable Paul Allen, while you just knew Le Tissier had to come good in the end.

It was exciting end-to-end stuff, with Klinsmann sending two headers at Grobbelaar, then firing narrowly over the angle of bar and post. Kenna shot into the side netting which raised Saints' hopes prematurely before Le Tissier went to work with a vengeance. 'Our central defenders are young and they have a lot to learn,' Ardiles said afterwards. And twenty-odd thousand departing Spurs fans said amen to that.

Tottenham (4-1-3-2): Walker; Kerslake, Nethercott, Campbell, Edinburgh; Calderwood; Anderson, Barmby (Hazard, 64)Dumitrescu; Sheringham, Klinsmann. Substitutes not used: Day (gk), Mabbutt.

Southampton (4-4-2): Grobbelaar; Kenna, Hall, Benali, Charlton; Allen, Maddison, Magilton, Heaney; Le Tissier, Dowie. Substitutes not used: Beasant (gk), Widdrington, Banger.

Referee: A Wilkie (Chester-le-Street).

(Photograph omitted)