Tottenham extended their unbeaten Premier League start under Antonio Conte following a 1-1 draw with 10-man Southampton at St Mary's.

The in-form James Ward-Prowse put Saints ahead with a sweetly struck 16-yard shot in the 25th minute.

Harry Kane equalised from the penalty spot 16 minutes later after Mohammed Salisu was dismissed for a second bookable offence.

Spurs were also denied goals twice by offside rulings, as Conte became the first manager in the club's history to remain unbeaten through his first seven league games in charge.

11 - Harry Kane has now had a direct hand in more away goals at St. Mary's than any other venue in the Premier League (6 goals, 5 assists). scoring in six of his last seven visits there. Routine.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 28, 2021

Tottenham had lost their final league game in just one of the last 12 calendar years and thought they had taken the lead in the 14th minute, but Ben Davies' header from a Son Heung-min free-kick was ruled out for offside.

The hosts capitalised by breaking the deadlock as a long Salisu throw-in was only cleared as far as Ward-Prowse, who scored in a third consecutive Premier League match for the first time since March 2019.

But Salisu's joy at playing his part there was short-lived as he was shown a second yellow card for bringing down Son in the box, and Kane equalised with a thumping penalty for his 11th goal in 12 starts against Saints in the English top-flight.

An offside decision came to Southampton's rescue once more eight minutes after the restart, Kane fractionally straying beyond the last defender before clinically tucking away Harry Winks' throughball. A VAR decision came as the teams prepared for a restart in the centre circle.

The visitors controlled large periods of the second half, enjoying over 70 per cent of possession. They were unable to convert their numerical advantage into a winning goal, however, with Kane heading just wide in stoppage time and Bryan Gil thwarted by Fraser Forster.

What does it mean? Spurs miss chance to put pressure on Gunners

For all their late pressure, Tottenham will be disappointed they could not close the gap on fourth-placed Arsenal to just three points.

Nevertheless, Conte's side do still have two games in hand on their rivals.

As for a stubborn Southampton, they are now unbeaten in six at St Mary’s, but you must go back to 2010 for the last time they won their final league match in a calendar year.

Kane maintains strong Saints record

Following his penalty, the England captain has now been directly involved in 17 goals in 12 Premier League starts against Southampton (11 goals, six assists).

Kane, who had a hand in all five goals in Spurs' 5-2 victory here last season, was involved in 13 duels this time around, matching Davies for a team-high in that regard. Only Son (five) registered more goal attempts throughout the contest than the England captain (four).

Bittersweet for Salisu

It was a day of mixed emotions for the Southampton left-back. His long throw led to the opening goal, while no player gained possession more times for the hosts (eight).

However, he only won two of his nine duels and conceded a game-high four fouls – the last of which resulted in a second yellow card and Tottenham equalising from the subsequent penalty.

Key Opta facts

- Conte (W4 D3) is the first Tottenham manager to go unbeaten in their first seven league games in charge of the club.
- Southampton registered their sixth home draw of the 2021-22 Premier League campaign, as many as they drew at St Mary’s in 2019-20 (3) and 2020-21 (3) combined.
- Southampton haven't won their final league game of the year (D6 L5) since beating Huddersfield 4-1 in League One in 2010.
- Each of Tottenham's last three Premier League matches have seen an opposition player sent off (Robertson, Zaha, Salisu). This last occurred with West Ham's opponents in October 2015.
- Since Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first Premier League game in charge of Southampton in December 2018, only Arsenal (13) have been shown more red cards in the competition than Saints (11).
- Kane has had a direct hand in more away goals at St Mary's than he has managed at any other venue in the Premier League (6 goals, 5 assists).

What’s next?

Tottenham will look to return to winning ways when they travel to Vicarage Road to face Watford on New Year's Day. Meanwhile, Southampton host struggling Newcastle United at St Mary's the following day.