Nathan Redmond was sent off soon after Kane had made it 2-1 and although the England striker failed to convert the resulting penalty Southampton tried in vain to prevent a hefty defeat that moved Tottenham to within a point of fourth-place Arsenal in the Premier League table.
It took Southampton all of 69 seconds to take the lead, through van Dijk. The Netherlands defender, coveted by a number of Premier League rivals and valued in the £30million bracket, rose to meet James Ward-Prowse's free-kick to send a downward header beyond Hugo Lloris in the Tottenham goal. The home side were full of energy and aggression - the brand of football Pochettino brought with him to the St Mary's Stadium before leaving for Tottenham in May 2014. The Argentinian could not have enjoyed the way his players were being put under constant pressure and there were a number of nervy moments as they attempted to stem the tide of Saints attacks.