Barclays U21 Premier League 2016: Tuesday Results, Updated Table and Schedule
Southampton's and Tottenham Hotspur's under-21s each claimed a point on Tuesday after goals from Jake Hesketh and Nabil Bentaleb saw the two teams draw 1-1 at St Mary's Stadium in their Under-21 Premier League clash.
Star man Hesketh's looping, long-range lob put the Saints ahead before Bentaleb took control of a ricocheting cross inside the Southampton area to salvage a point for the north London visitors.
The result means Tottenham have missed their chance to move into Division 1's top three and remain sixth in the Under-21 Premier League, while Southampton stay lodged in the bottom half.
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Read on for a recap of Tuesday's under-21 tussle between Southampton and Spurs, complete with a look at the latest Under-21 Premier League standings and how they've been affected.
| 1 | Sunderland U21 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 25 | 9 | +16 | 29 |
| 2 | Manchester United U21 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 32 | 11 | +21 | 28 |
| 3 | Manchester City U21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 17 | +8 | 21 |
| 4 | Reading U21 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 25 | 27 | -2 | 21 |
| 5 | Everton U21 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 17 | +3 | 20 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur U21 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 33 | 34 | -1 | 20 |
| 7 | Chelsea U21 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 15 |
| 8 | Liverpool U21 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 23 | -7 | 15 |
| 9 | Southampton U21 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 21 | 28 | -7 | 15 |
| 10 | Middlesbrough U21 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 15 | +3 | 13 |
| 11 | Norwich City U21 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 31 | -13 | 12 |
| 12 | Leicester City U21 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 16 | 36 | -20 | 9 |
| Wednesday, Feb. 10 | 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Division 2 | West Ham United vs. Swansea City |
| Thursday, Feb. 11 | 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | Division 1 | Manchester City vs. Manchester United |
Saints and Spurs Share St Mary's Spoils
Both the Saints and Spurs are desperate to make improvements in their under-21 campaigns after finishing eighth and ninth in the table last season, respectively.
Southampton added a touch of senior class to the mix by bringing midfielder Juanmi and right-back Cuco Martina into their XI, while Bentaleb captained the north Londoners in their trip south.
Saints also had an experienced pair of mitts between the posts with Paulo Gazzaniga guarding their line, and the Argentinian was largely equal to anything Spurs were able to throw in his direction early on.
The official Southampton Twitter account provided footage of Martina's long-range strike on the half-hour mark—reminiscent of his goal-of-the-season contender against Arsenal this year—but it was ruled out for offside:
Gazzaniga's opposite number, Spurs stopper Luke McGee, found himself tested more frequently out of the two, and midway through the second half, the deadlock was finally broken by a Saints player.
Hesketh, 19, picked the ball up on the edge of the Spurs area with bodies crowding, but McGee had no chance of stopping his inch-perfect opener from long range:
Bentaleb posed the greatest threat for Spurs, particularly from the set piece, but Tottenham just couldn't find the space they needed to get free in the Saints box and hit back.
Southampton finally creaked, though, and it was Bentaleb who was quickest to latch on to a deflected Emmanuel Sonupe cross, smashing the ball past Gazzaniga with 15 minutes left:
Hesketh had the chance to win the tie late on, but the youngster could only tip McGee's left post at the end of a dizzying run upfield. Tottenham Hotspur have now taken just two points from their last five Under-21 Premier League games, while Southampton are similarly out of shape with a record of four matches without a win.
While their senior counterparts may be flying high in the Premier League, Southampton and Spurs failed to produce a victor on Tuesday and carry on in their respective mid-table plights as a result.
