Premiership: Ferdinand comes close for Spurs

Tottenham 0 Southampton 0 H/T

Les Ferdinand’s 28th-minute shot against the bar was the nearest thing to White Hart Lane’s first goal of the season.

But Southampton, inspired by Spurs transfer target Dean Richards, defended well and also sprang some neat counter attacks in an even first half.

Saints were more than holding their own and there was not a Spurs defender in sight when Kevin Davies whipped the ball across from the right on 21 minutes.

Marian Pahars, stretching for the chance, needed only the merest contact to score at the far post but could not reach the ball with only Sullivan to beat.

Kevin Davies threatened again from the right, this time with a low drive that bounced awkwardly in front of Sullivan, but the keeper held on.

Ziege curled a free-kick just over after Richards’ foul on Sheringham 25 yards out and it encouraged Spurs to more determined efforts.

They were unlucky not to go ahead when, from Anderton’s delightful 28th-minute cross, Ferdinand stole in down the inside right channel and hit a side-foot volley over Jones, only to see the ball bounce away off the face of the crossbar.

Saints scrambled away another Anderton cross for a corner two minutes later and when the flag-kick came in low, Sheringham hit it first time but just wide of the near post.

Saints still kept trying to create something on the counter attack and things looked promising when Pahars bore down on goal after collecting a fortunate bounce in he 40th minute, but his shot from 20 yards was no problem for Sullivan to pick up.

Sullivan had a tougher test, springing to hold Rosler’s header from a Matthew Oakley free-kick, but Simon Davies was unlucky for Spurs when he saw his low right-wing cross deflected away from the lurking Ferdinand.

Spurs had the ball in the net after just three minutes following a scramble in the area for Christian Ziege’s well-flighted free kick but there was an obvious foul on keeper Paul Jones spotted by referee Alan Wiley.

Good work between Kevin Davies and Wayne Bridge produced a dangerous cross by the full-back which Gary Doherty could only head out as far as Anders Svensson, but Southampton’s new Swedish midfielder miscued high and wide from around 22 yards.

On seven minutes Jo Tessem chased a long ball by Rory Delap in behind the Tottenham defence and tried to pull it back for Uwe Rosler, who was tackled just in time by Gary Doherty at the expense of a corner.

Spurs cleared comfortably enough and after Goran Bunjevcevic put a speculative effort tamely wide, forced the first real chance when Sheringham clipped Les Ferdinand through.

The veteran striker lost his footing, though, and played an air-shot in trying to hook the ball past Jones as he fell.

Ferdinand’s next effort was much better, but wide of the mark from another Sheringham pass and Richards scared Spurs at the other end when his 15th minute header stretched Neil Sullivan who could only palm the ball out.

Luckily for Spurs there was no Saints striker following up but the home defence was looking less than secure.

At the other end, Simon Davies rose well for Anderton’s cross from the right and put plenty of power in his header, but it flew over the bar.