Sometimes in football you don't get what you deserve.

Take Saints as the case in point. So far this season they have put in four good performances against four good teams.

Yet the league table says they have yet to win a match, have only scored two goals and sit second from bottom.

It hardly seems fair that a team can play so well and yet in the cold light of day, when you look at the league table, appear to be doing quite badly.

Saturday was an example of why this is happening to Saints.

Spurs are a good team but completely the opposite. On the performance they produced their position at the top end of the Premiership is unjustified.

But football is about winning, however that may come and to do that you need goals, something which Saints have found hard to find.

Because it was the same old story for Gordon Strachan's men at White Hart Lane - loads of pressure, loads of possession, control of long periods of the match yet only one goal - and that was an own goal.

Strachan feels no need to worry yet, after all it's still early days and at least the team are playing well.

He commented: "The team performance was very good, the result is a stunner for them because we should have beaten them or come away with something, at least a point.

"I take solace in the fact that my team are doing very very well, but the points total does not reflect our performances but I believe at the end of the season we will look back on a good season.

"It's all about belief and I believe that eventually this will all go right and you can see with the players that the belief is there.

"We've just got to try and keep ourselves positive.

"The points total absolutely does not reflect the way we have played but life is like that, it can be hard on you sometimes."

Even Glenn Hoddle empathised with Strachan, saying: "Gordon would have been pleased with their performance but you need to get the wins when you do that.

"I experienced that sort of thing when I was manager at Southampton."

For all their hard work, Saints ultimately came away pointless because of an injury time penalty.

As Steffen Iversen followed up his shot which had hit the post, he fired at the Saints goal where Michael Svensson dived in front of him to block the shot.

There was little argument that the ball struck his hands but the question of intent was key. The referee deemed it deliberate and not only gave the penalty but also gave Svensson his marching orders. Hard on a man making only his second start.

Teddy Sheringham stepped up to take the penalty and quite inevitably tucked it away to leave his side walking off the field with a victory you would seriously struggle to argue they deserved.

The game had started badly for Saints when they conceded after just 10 minutes.

The effective central midfielder Milenko Acimovic hit a deep corner to the unmarked Sheringham who headed back across the face of goal for Les Ferdinand to stab home ahead of Paul Willliams and Svensson while Chris Marsden was unable to hack it off the line.

From then on Saints started to get into the match and compete with Spurs with Brett Ormerod and Fabrice Fernandes causing plenty of trouble with their neat skills and turn of pace.

Moments after Paul Telfer had his sliding effort well saved by Kasey Keller, Fernandes and Ormerod linked up to brilliant effect.

The former Blackpool striker was able to burst down the right wing and hit a low cross to the far post. Mauricio Taricco knew he had to deal with it with James Beattie steaming in but could only turn it into his own net to bring Saints back on level terms.

Saints continued to push forward and create chances but Spurs were always a threat and might have regained their lead earlier had Simon Davies been able to finish one of his chances.

But the men from St Mary's looked the better side in the second half and kept almost constant pressure on Spurs who were rarely able to muster up a meaningful counter attack as Saints kept hold of the ball and probed for an opening.

But they were unable to create any clearcut chances. Among the many half chances they had Wayne Bridge forced a great save out of Keller while Beattie's chip from the edge of the area just skimmed the top of the crossbar.

Just when it seemed that Saints would have to settle for a point came the penalty which meant they got none.

Football can be a cruel game.

FINAL VERDICT: Saints again deserved better than they got but football's about winning and Strachan's men need to start turning their good performances into more goals and more points.