Former Celtic star John Hartson believes that whomever replaces Ronny Deila must have a connection to the Scottish club and a full understanding of its history.

Writing in his column for the Scottish Sun, the striker says that the Norwegian may have known about the club before he arrived in Scotland but he didn’t have any idea about the demands that would be placed upon him:

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“For me the manager should also have a connection with the club. Sure, Ronny Deila knew of Celtic when he arrived. But he didn’t have a clue about the demands that came with managing the club.”

“The new man should know what it means to wear the shirt, the expectations for winning Doubles and Trebles.”

Hartson believes the next manager must be stronger with the club’s board, and ask for a larger transfer budget from chief executive Peter Lawwell and majority shareholder Dermot Desmond in order to qualify for the Champions League group stages after failing to get past the qualifying rounds in recent seasons:

“How much the new manager will be given I don’t know.But he needs to be a strong individual, someone who can talk to Peter Lawwell and Dermot Desmond about what’s needed.”

“Celtic need to be playing on the big stage in Europe. They want to bring those times back. But in recent seasons they’ve lost Virgil van Dijk, they’ve lost Victor Wanyama, they’ve lost Gary Hooper and they’ve lost Fraser Forster and they’ve filled the coffers with over £20million. They need those types of players back. It might cost a few quid but that’s what Celtic need if they’re to progress in Europe.”

Celtic’s new manager won’t have much time to prepare his new squad for the crucial European matches at the start of the season as the Champions League qualifiers take place in mid July.

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There will be new faces in the dugouts at both Manchester clubs for next season.

In the red corner, Jose Mourinho takes charge of Manchester United as he returns to the Premier League soon after his Chelsea dismissal with the aim of returning the Old Trafford club to its past glories.

Meanwhile in blue, Pep Guardiola will be at Manchester City as they look to finally establish themselves on the European stage and win the title, as they last did in 2013/14.

The two appointments have been talked about for some time now and, naturally, attention is turning to when the two will meet in their first Manchester derby.

An already huge fixture in the Premier League calendar has just been given an extra dynamic. Arguably the two best managers in world football in charge of two of the biggest hitters in the game, both with a wealth of resources, promises to be an absolute tinderbox for fans the world over to enjoy.

Guardiola and Mourinho have clashed on a number of occasions both on and off of the pitch and ahead of the latest chapter of their intertwining careers, here at FootballFanCast we’ve taken a look at the best games involving the two managers to bring you the greatest FIVE…

Barcelona 1-0 Inter Milan Champions League 2nd leg Semi Final 2009/10

The first leg had finished 3-1 at the San Siro to Inter Milan, so Guardiola’s men knew at least two goals were needed to get through. Barca’s hopes were improved as Mourinho saw his side reduced to 10 men in the middle of the first half, but the Italians stood firm and put in a typically resolute performance. Barca managed one goal but could not break the Nerazzuri’s defence down, and upon the final whistle the former Porto man famously ran on to the Nou Camp pitch, arms aloft, to celebrate, in the process igniting a rivalry that would soon reach fever pitch the following season.

Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid La Liga 2010/11

Mourinho’s first ‘El Clasico’ is one he will not want to be reminded of. The Catalan hosts ran riot with the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi orchestrating a humiliating defeat for Real. Guardiola’s team looked set to sweep all before them and this was a statement that set shockwaves around the world. It was here Mourinho realised the size of the job he had on to stop Guardiola and his tiki-taka football.

Real Madrid 1-0 Barcelona Copa del Rey Final 2010/11

This was the second in a run of four titanic games in a matter of a few weeks. Barcelona were set to win the league but with this game and a set of Champions League semi finals to be played, Mourinho still sensed he could be the one with the most medals come the end of the season. The final went to extra time where Cristiano Ronaldo hit the winner to the joy of his compatriot manager as the rivalry ramped up a few more notches ahead of the semis.

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Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona Champions League 1st leg Semi Final 2010/11

The animosity between the two coaches was already evident in their pre-match comments ahead this one, but it was Barcelona who handled the pressure better for a famous win at the Bernabeu. It was a tight affair that looked set for a goal-less stalemate before Lionel Messi hit two late strikes, the second a fine solo effort that left Madristas and their team’s defence reeling. Barcelona would go on to win the final that year after a 1-1 draw at the Nou Camp in the second leg booked them a place at Wembley.

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Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid Spanish Super Cup 2nd Leg 2011/12

The first leg had finished 2-2 at the Bernabeu but it was the return at the Nou Camp that saw the rivalry boil over. A 3-2 win for Barca was completely overshadowed by a brawl that saw Mourinho poke then Guardiola’s assistant, Tito Vilanova, in the eye. The fight broke out after Marcelo put in a nasty challenge on Cesc Fabregas and the scenes that followed led Gerard Pique to say Mourinho was destroying Spanish football.

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This summer represents Jurgen Klopp’s first real opportunity to place his stamp on his inherited Liverpool side.

Several targets are already captured, including Sadio Mane and towering defender Joel Matip; with more expected to join before the season begins in August.

With a host of names linked, some star players are destined for Anfield this summer. However, for every big name that joins the club, the Reds miss out on 10 others.

Some targets would be perfect signings for this new look Liverpool side, but we find it very hard to believe that the Liverpool bosses will be willing to fork out the big money that will be required to land them.

Here are FIVE players that Liverpool wont sign but really should…

Mario Gotze

Mario Gotze has emerged in recent weeks as a legitimate Liverpool target, and the idea of the move has got Liverpool fans very excited.

Gotze would improve any side in the world, with his technical brilliance a delight to watch.

However, as expected, recent reports have suggested that the deal will not go through.

The deal would no dealt have cost up to £50m; money that Liverpool typically aren’t willing to shell out for individual players.

He would have been an excellent upgrade; but this deal is dead.

Gonzalo Higuain

Another world renowned name that has been linked with Liverpool in recent years, Higuain would be an excellent signing for Liverpool.

The prolific front man has scored over 70 goals in around 100 appearances for Napoli, highlighting his position as one of Europe’s best strikers.

A pictured meeting between Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and the Napoli owner made the deal look imminent; but those rumours have now slowed down, with Liverpool seemingly looking at other targets.

Despite his fantastic goal scoring record and Liverpool’s offensive woes – he seems unlikely to join the club.

Jonas Hector

Jonas Hector is a player that looks made to be a Liverpool player.

Alberto Moreno’s mistakes cost the club dearly last season, with many fans calling for his replacement. Step in, Jonas Hector…

The German full back has impressed during this summers European Championship competition, and looks set for a move elsewhere.

However, despite rumoured interest – it seems like his destination club is not Liverpool, with The Echo reporting that Liverpool have made no contact over the signing.

Pierre-Emile Hojberg

One player that Liverpool may now have missed out on is Pierre-Emile Hojberg.

The Bayern Munich wonderkid has been linked with Klopp’s Liverpool for several weeks, but after delaying for too long – he has instead chosen to join Southampton.

The young starlet is just 20 years old, but has already amassed over 50 appeareances in the German top flight.

A technical gifted, talismanic midfielder, Hojberg would have been the perfect long-term investment for Liverpool.

But now, with a medical set imminently, it is too late for the side to sign the player.

In fact, knowing Liverpool – he will probably sign for the club in five years time for triple the price they could have bought him for now!

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen

Another player that Liverpool seem to have missed out on is Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

A long term target, the Reds have been linked with the Barcelona keeper for months, given that he has been unable to hold down a spot in the Spanish sides first team.

However, it seems that if he is to move anywhere this summer, it will be Manchester City, with Citizen’s bosses seemingly demanding that the Keeper is signed for the Manchester club.

Rumours have died down in recent weeks, with Liverpool signing Loris Karius, but Ter Stegen will be the one that got away.

The Barca keeper is a rock between the sticks, and it would surely have been the price that put Liverpool off. If they had taken a risk on the Keeper, they could have captured one of the best in Europe.

Uncapped Michail Antonio gets a well-deserved chance as he is named in Sam Allardyce’s first ever England squad.

The Hammers’ explosive winger  has started the season well, scoring two goals in the opening three Premier League games. Both were identical headers at the back post against Bournemouth and title favourites Manchester City.

Antonio carried on his form from last season where he scored eight goals following his move from Championship side Nottingham Forest for an undisclosed fee of £7million.

Big Sam spoke highly of the winger, describing him as a “terrific athlete” and a “really good crosser”. He also added how Michail Antonio is a “goalscorer from wide positions” which suggests that Allardyce will play the West Ham man on the wing instead of his secondary position of right-back.  There is no doubt that Antonio will inject pace, directness and power out wide.

In the summer of 2016, 26-year-old Antonio didn’t make the England Euro squad under Roy Hodgson, so he will be eager to show his class on the international stage.

Other players added to the squad include the likes of Luke Shaw, Phil Jagielka,Theo Walcott and Danny Drinkwater who were all absent from the Euros due to differing reasons.

There is no doubt that Danny Drinkwater will add a more direct approach and his chemistry with Jamie Vardy is arguably better than any other teammates in the squad.

Sam Allardyce positively added: “After such a bad injury, it’s great to see him back,” referring to Luke Shaw.

In contrast, one notable absentee is Ross Barkley, who has impressed so far with two goals in four games. The Everton youngster didn’t make a single appearance in England’s woeful Euro 2016 tournament.  In addition, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was also left out.

Much hysteria has been caused over the decision to leave Marcus Rashford in the U21 squad. The 18-year-old Mancunian scored the winning goal as Manchester United triumphed over Hull City on Saturday. Although United manager Jose Mourinho says he’d rather have Rashford start for the youth side then sit on the bench. He also scored three minutes into his first England cap against Australia – becoming the youngest ever player to score on their England debut.

Prior to the squad selection, there was much doubt over keeper Joe Hart who is heavily linked with a move away from Manchester City – with Pep Guardiola opting for Claudio Bravo. This is also combined with his disappointing display in Euro 2016.

However, the highly spirited keeper has maintained his position in the squad and will be keen to prove the doubters and more importantly, Guardiola wrong.

The captain has not been selected as of yet, however, Wayne Rooney looks to be the most experienced and is favourite to stay as captain. This would be wise to ensure the squad does not become unsettled in any way.

Allardyce will hold a press conference on Monday where he will comment on his choices.

England will kick off their reign under Sam Allardyce in their World Cup qualifier against Slovakia this Sunday – with strong possibilities of a 4-3-3 formation due to big Sam’s love for the formation in recent years.

This article was submitted via our Write For Us feature. Think you can do better? Submit your own article via the link below, and give yourself the chance of winning monthly cash prizes…

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According to reports from Spanish website MercaFutbol, Arsenal are planning a €47m (£40.5m) move for Real Madrid goal-getter Karim Benzema.

What’s the story?

Well, in what seems to be a cmd+c job from each of the past four summers, Arsenal are being aligned with Benzema. The cost? £40.5m (not an insane figure in today’s climate). MercaFutbol go into some depth, suggesting Arsene Wenger wants his compatriot to lead the line at the Emirates Stadium, although they concede that a deal is extremely unlikely.

Why won’t it happen?

Well, Real Madrid are facing a transfer ban. The Spaniards, alongside their bitter rivals Atletico Madrid, were found guilty of breaking FIFA rules in relation to signing youth players, which has seen them forbidden from registering new additions until early 2018. Although this sanction won’t block them from selling, it seems unlikely a key player will be allowed to move away if they can’t sign a replacement. MercaFutbol also suggest that a new contract offer is being readied for the 28-year-old.

How could it happen?

Should Real Madrid successfully get the ban overturned or suspended, which appears unlikely, they may opt for a shoppong splurge in January. To free up space and bring in cash, Benzema, at the age of 28, might be an appealing ‘asset’ in the transfer market. Even with the ban imposed there remains a chance of cashing in, with Alvaro Morata capable of playing as the club’s main centre-forward – although options beyond him are not plentiful.

How would he fit at Arsenal?

As the numbers (crunched by Squawka) show, Benzema is a much more traditional centre-forward than many of Arsenal’s options – Olivier Giroud aside, obviously. His return in terms of goals was far superior to any of the Gunners’ main strikers last season, although there are the obvious caveats – namelyÂthe teams in which they played, the players around them and the divisions. However, Benzema’s low take-ons count hints that he spends more time around the 18-yard box, making him the sort of striker Arsenal need in terms of positioning and finishing ability.

Will it happen?

Probably not. Arsenal have been aligned with Benzema for some time, yet a deal has failed to come into fruition. And with Real facing two windows of no transfer activity, parting with their main centre-forward makes little sense.

England face Slovenia on Tuesday night in their second World Cup qQualifier of the international break and Gareth Southgate’s ad-hoc interim era.

Currently 55 places below the Three Lions in the FIFA rankings, the vast majority see Tuesday’s result as a foregone conclusion, with Southgate’s boys more than likely limping their way to a one or two-goal win as Slovenia reluctantly accept their place in international football’s pecking order.

But Slovenia are a lot more dangerous than they may seem. Whilst England struggled to get past Malta on Saturday, unconvincingly winning 2-0, Slovenia claimed an underdog victory at home to Slovakia, propelling them to third place – just two points behind England in  Group F.

With that in mind and a defeat likely to push England fans beyond the point of despair, we’ve listed three Slovenia danger men the Three Lions must be wary of.

Jan Oblak

Goalkeeper and danger man may seem juxtaposing terms – indeed, it’s usually the former’s job to keep the latter from fulfilling his moniker’s prophecy – but Jan Oblak has just cause to be seen as the exception to the rule. The Atletico Madrid No.1 is an incredibly talented goalkeeper, claiming the most La Liga clean sheets since the start of last season with a whopping 29 in his last 45 appearances, and his shot-stopping ability borders upon world-class. Considering England’s eternal struggles to put the ball into the back of the net, the 23-year-old’s performance could well be what decides the outcome of Tuesday’s clash.

Josip Ilicic

The Fiorentina star was in fantastic form last season, claiming 13 goals and five assists in 30 Serie A appearances whilst averaging 1.6 created chances per match. Josip Ilicic hasn’t quite managed to match that output in 2016/17, producing just two set-ups in the Italian top flight thus far, but remains his country’s standout creative influence and is one just five players in the Slovenia squad to have scored more than once at international level. The attacking midfielder can operate out wide or centrally and will look to occupy space between England’s defensive lines.

Milivoje Novakovic

Milivoje Novakovic may now be 37 years of age but he’s still a crucial part of Slovenia’s starting XI, as the second-top scorer in the country’s history and the 6 foot 4 focal point of their attack. The veteran target man’s return at international level, 31 goals in 78 appearances, is certainly nothing to be sniffed at and with Phil Jagielka out injured, it will be Chris Smalling’s duty to match Novakovic physically. That being said, the Maribor man’s not found the net for his country since September 2015 – although one of his goals did come against England three months prior.

Lathered in narrative, there was only one man who was going to be centre stage at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night. Pep Guardiola’s return to the place where he became a legend as a player and a manager was emotional for many a Barcelona fan, naturally.

It is hard to know what the true fairy tale would’ve been at the Camp Nou. However, it certainly wasn’t Manchester City getting thrashed like they did. Humiliation after humiliation defensively saw Barcelona pick them apart and wait for each mistake to allow Lionel Messi to notch yet another hat-trick. Things conspired against Manchester City, but it is hard to have a great deal of sympathy with a team that aid their own downfall.

The narrative will be wrung out by fans and pundits alike for the following few days and Guardiola will undoubtedly have questions to answer from the press about the exclusion of Sergio Aguero.

Things can only get better from here for Manchester City and they won’t face many tasks as tricky as this. Here are five of the images that sum up the tale of the evening…

Say Hi to Pep

Barcelona’s fans were pretty kind to Mr. Guardiola.

They don’t really have much of a reason to feel anything but sheer admiration for their former manager, but it was nice to hear some positive sounds from fans towards someone who isn’t involved in ‘their’ club anymore.

He can play a bit

Of all the players in the history of the game to gift a chance to, Lionel Messi is not a good’un.

He is probably the greatest that we have ever seen with the ball at his feet and Manchester City, after a decent start to the game, allowed him to humiliate Claudio Bravo and give Barca a 1-0 lead.

As cool as the Italian national team’s suits, Messi left Bravo helpless on the floor.

What on earth was that?

Claudio Bravo’s own idiocy to get himself sent off in the second half was immensely hurtful for Manchester City’s hopes on Wednesday night.

Team Joe Hart will have been boosted by this one, which is some sort of consolation, but Bravo has done himself no favours in winning over any sceptics. A simply foolish handball outside the box left the Citizens with ten men for the majority of the second half.

Three’s not always a crowd

He did it again. Lionel Messi, for the second time this year, scored a Champions League hat-trick.

Manchester City were slack defensively and they will unlikely feature in any compilations of Messi’s greatest ever goals, but his career numbers continue to astonish. We will never see a footballer quite like Messi again and we must enjoy him while we can.

Elephant in the room

The big talk before the game surrounded Aguero and he will certainly be chatted about a fair bit in the postmortem of City’s humiliation.

The Argentine star only appeared from the bench when the game was far gone for the Citizens and rumours will be afoot as to why he was left out.

Gareth Southgate has called on the Football Association to make a final decision about the England job within a month, which has prompted fans to consider whether he is the right man for the role.The former Middlesbrough footballer is in the running to become the Three Lions’ permanent manager following the dismissal of Sam Allardyce, who lasted just 67 days in charge after being caught up in The Telegraph’s media sting.In fairness, it’s difficult to judge whether Southgate is the right man given that he has overseen just three games, with a friendly against Spain on the way, during this interim period.Southgate’s term started off positively with a 2-0 win over Malta in England’s World Cup qualifying campaign, but the team were held to a goalless draw by Slovenia three days later.Perhaps the crucial moment for Southgate came on Friday evening when Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill scored to give the Three Lions a 3-0 victory over rivals Scotland at Wembley.The fact that Southgate has been in charge of the U21s since 2013 puts a lot of ticks in his column as the FA are likely to be looking for a manager that can delve into the inner workings of St George’s Park and continue to develop their system.It remains to be seen whether he will be offered the job, but the 46-year-old wants a decision to be made before Christmas.”It will be important for me to know what I’m doing after the middle of November,” Southgate told reporters.”We’ve got a European U21 Championship to prepare for and the seniors have got their next round of qualifiers [in March].”Of course everybody is going to want to know, I guess, by the end of November, middle of December, where everything is heading so we can decide who is responsible for which parts of the organisation’s work.”With Southgate seemingly throwing his hat into the ring to become England’s permanent manager, the fans have had their say on the subject via social media…

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Oh, the Premier League – the gift that just keeps on giving.Indeed, it’s shaping up to be a classic campaign in the English top flight and last weekend certainly took the division closer to that aim, with 36 goals and three red cards spread across nine games – the other being Middlesbrough and Hull City’s Monday Night Football clash this evening.The action started with a full-blooded affair between Manchester City and Chelsea, which saw the Blues take a 3-1 lead in the second half after going a goal down in the first, before a horror tackle from Sergio Aguero disintegrated the match into a round of fisticuffs.The 3pms, meanwhile, also delivered,Âwith Tottenham, West Brom and Crystal Palace scoring eleven times between them, and the goal-mouth action trickled into Arsenal’s 5-1 win over West Ham at the London Stadium.Sunday, on the other hand, was the day of the comeback kings. Everton claimed a last-minute point against Manchester United, whilst Bournemouth returned from 2-0 and 3-1 down to record a stunning win against title chasers Liverpool.With goals, bookings and controversy aplenty, some incredible statistics came out of the weekend’s enthralling Premier League action.ÂAided by our stats-mad mates, we’ve taken a look at some of the most surprising.

Fergie-time in reverse

Manchester United were once famed for their ability to turn defeats into draws and draws into wins in the dying embers of Premier League matches under Sir Alex Ferguson. Indeed, Fergie-time nearly always produced a late equaliser or winner for the Scot’s side, but the Red Devils are now finding the shoe is on the other foot.

They’ve lost the most points from goalsÂin the last ten minutes of any Premier League side this season, a worrying seven, including the two dropped on Sunday as a late Leighton Baines penalty earned Everton a draw at Goodison Park.

King Costa

Diego Costa was the catalyst behind Chelsea’s comeback at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, scoring the first in a 3-1 win and providing the assist as Willian put the Blues into the lead with just 20 minutes remaining.

The Spaniard retained his position as the top flight’s leading goalscorer but is now also the most potent strikerÂthroughout the Blues’ Premier League history, with the best goals-to-minutes ratio of any Chelsea player to net ten or more for the west London club.

Hurri-Kane comin’ through

Diego Costa may be dominating the Premier League’s scoring charts this season but Tottenham talisman Harry Kane certainly isn’t too far behind. The 23-year-old has been nothing short of sensational since forcing his way into the Spurs starting XI in 2014/15 and here’s the stat to prove it – 50 goals in his last 70 Premier League outings for the north Londoners. That includes an impressive brace in a 5-0 demolition of Swansea City on Saturday.

Defoe in December

Jermain Defoe recently etched his name in the Premier League history books by reaching 150 goals in the top flight, putting him in an exclusive club of just eight players. Well, a strike against Leicester City on Saturday has seen the Sunderland star join another elite group, with only three players throughout Premier League history scoring more goals than him in December. There are five more league fixtures to go until the end of the month, but Defoe may struggle to overcome the gap between himself (24) and third-place Wayne Rooney (31).

Long-range Assists

More on Chelsea’s fantastic performance at the Etihad Stadium. It may not quite be Pep Guardiola’s cup of tea but the Blues’ direct style of play made the difference on Saturday, with the assists for all three of their goals coming from their own half.

That includes sensational ranging balls from Cesc Fabregas and Marcos Alonso, as well as a driven pass from Diego Costa that gave Willian practically a whole half of space to run into.

Fallible Fellaini

Marouane Fellaini will certainly be in the Old Trafford doghouse this morning after playing an instrumental role in his former club Everton stealing a late draw against Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho brought on the Belgian to sure things up at the back but just moments after entering the fray from the bench, he gave away an obvious penalty – which Leighton Baines swiftly converted.

The stats suggest United are far better off when the lanky midfielder isn’t involved.

Calamity Karius

Loris Karius didn’t enjoy the best of weekends, hardly putting up much resistance as Bournemouth staged an incredible last-gasp comeback against Liverpool. In fact, he even fumbled the ball into the path of Nathan Ake for Bournemouth’s late winner.

The stats suggest the German’s shot-stopping isn’t up to much either, conceding four goals from the last seven shots on target he’s faced in the Premier League. Suddenly, Simon Mignolet doesn’t look quite so bad.

Luckless Leicester

We always knew Leicester would struggle to even come close to their performances last season but the Foxes will be disappointed to discover they’re currently the owners of the worst title defence in Premier League history after 14 games.

Accordingly, they’ve already trailed for more minutes in the top flight this season than the entirety of 2015/16. Worrying stuff for Claudio Ranieri’s boys, who are now just two points above the relegation zone.

Sensational Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez heaped on even more misery for West Ham on Saturday as Arsenal claimed an emphatic 5-1 win at the London Stadium. The Chile international’s three goals, not to mention his assist for the opener, played a key role and was in fact Arsenal’s third-fastest hat-trick in Premier League history.

Impressive stuff, but you might be more surprised to discoverÂSanchez is beaten to top spot by Gunners icon Ian Wright and infamous failed prodigy Jermaine Pennant.

Wilshere breaks his Liverpool hoodoo

Jack Wilshere was a part of the Bournemouth side who completed that stunning comeback over Liverpool at the Vitality Stadium. But rather incredibly, that was the England international’s first-ever win over the Reds, failing to find victory in his four Arsenal appearances against them. In that time, the midfielder has found just one assist, whilst failing to get on the scoresheet.

Spurs and Southampton fans had to wait longer than all 18 other sets of rival Premier League supporters to see their sides in action following Christmas Day.While the majority gorged on Boxing Day action before Liverpool and Spurs offered up another Bank Holiday treat, the Londoners and the south coast outfit played out their match last night, which is sure to have brightened up the day for any Tottenham followers unlucky enough to have had to go back to work after the festivities.

As we know now, the match ended 1-4 in favor of the Lilywhites, who came back from an early Virgil van Dijk header to win via goals from Deli Alli (x2), Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

Although the result didn’t change the order of the table, Spurs will be happy to be three points ahead of Manchester United in fifth, while only one point separates them from bitter rivals Arsenal. Oh, and for any being optimistic, the gap between the north London club and leaders Chelsea is now just ten, as opposed to 13.

So, who wants to relive the big game? Well, we have SEVEN amazing pictures that will allow you to do just that!

Van’s the man

Just two minutes after the first whistle, Van Dijk put another few £million on any potential January offers coming in for him. The Dutch defender has been lauded for his work in his own third this season, and rightfully so, but he’s also a threat at the other end – as he showed when he nodded James Ward-Prowse’s deadly free kick into the net.

Alli-woop

The Saints piled on some early pressure, but Spurs started to grow into the game after the first quarter of an hour and got back on level terms via a Dele Alli header. The midfielder hasn’t been quite at the same swashbuckling level asÂlast term but he showed his determination as he out-jumped Van Dijk to head past Fraser Forster.

Late present from Kane

The game made it to the halfway stage with the scores level and both sets of fans were hoping for a late Christmas present in the form of three points. Harry Kane set his team on the way to just that when he netted the THIRD headed goal of the game via a Christian Eriksen corner.

Red-mond for Nathan…

Controversy struck in the 57th minute as Nathan Redmond was sent off for a foul on Alli. The attacking midfielder was adjudged to have pulled his opponent back in the area and referee Mike Dean elected to both dish out the red card and point to the spot. It’s fair to say the Saints players, and fans, didn’t take too kindly to the decision, and they had some right to be aggrieved. The new rules mean that had he attempted a tackle and fouled Alli, it would have been only a caution.

Kane not able…

With the atmosphere bubbling after Redmond’s dismissal, it looked as if things would get worse when Kane stepped up to take the spot-kick, but the English forward blazed wildly over the bar after appearing to lose his footing on the turf.

After the match, he poked fun at himself and touted his services to NFL teams looking for a kicker…

Nice one, Son…

With the Saints a man down, space started to open up for the visitors and Son took advantage of that in the 85th minute. Without a goal since the start of December, the South Korean has been on a mini-drought, but he didn’t show any signs of rust when he fired low past Forster.

All-I I want for Christmas…

With Southampton visibly tiring, just a couple of minutes later Alli added real gloss to the scoreline with a neat effort to make it 1-4. As the picture (above) shows, the Lilywhites’ players were thrilled with what they must have known was a big win, given how solid Southampton have been this season.