Ronald Koeman was left to rue a lack of clinical finishing as Saints were held to a 2-2 draw by Tottenham.

It looked like Saints would exact revenge on former boss Mauricio Pochettino and leapfrog his Spurs side in the race for Europe as they twice led at St Mary’s through Graziano Pelle.

They also had the best of the game’s other chances, Steven Davis in particular spurning three presentable opportunities.

In the end the misses cost them as ruthless Spurs dispatched their only two shots on target throughout the 90 minutes to twice peg Saints back and escape with a draw, leaving Koeman to confess: “Not lucky because we need to shoot more on target.

“If you don’t shoot on target you don’t score and that’s the quality of Tottenham – they get really one big chance of Chaldi and we get maybe two or three good chances, two times Steven Davis normally is a good finisher, but today not. That’s football.”

Of the Davis chances he added: “Maybe with the confidence what Graziano had today he shall score about that situation.

“It was a great play and attack with Graziano and Sadio but you have to shoot on target and sometimes we are missing too much in that kind of opportunities.

“It’s not easy to score but at least you have to shoot on target.”

In the end it finished as you were in the race for fifth, sixth and seventh with Liverpool also drawing away to West Brom.

Koeman was happy with the problems Sadio Mane caused to Tottenham.

He played him through the middle off of Pelle and the pair gave Spurs a very tough afternoon.

“I think it was very good,” he said of Mane’s performance.

“He was dangerous. He is playing very good out of that position behind Graziano. He made good movements, good runs and was very dangerous for Tottenham.”