The problems are mounting for Antonio Conte at Tottenham Hotspur after his team's capitulation at Southampton on Saturday.
Spurs were leading 3-1 at St Mary's Stadium only for the struggling Saints to score twice in the last 13 minutes and earn a much-needed point in their battle against relegation.
After the match, Conte was brutal in his criticism of Spurs players – who he described as “selfish” – and the club ownership.
And to make matters worse, defender Ben Davies and attacker Richarlison limped off in the first-half with muscles problems, and join the likes of captain Hugo Lloris, Ryan Sessegnon, Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma in the club's already busy medical room.
Spurs could have moved above Manchester United into third in the Premier League with victory on the south coast, but they lost ground in the race for Champions League qualification.
Newcastle are two points behind fourth-placed Spurs and while the gap to Liverpool, Brighton and Brentford stands at seven points, all four clubs have games in hand moving into April.
After the international break, Spurs will face a crucial run of games when they take on Newcastle, Manchester United and Liverpool in consecutive games at the end of April.
Since the turn of the year, they have been knocked out of the FA Cup by second-tier Sheffield United and meekly exited the Champions League at the hands of AC Milan, ending any hopes of winning their first trophy since 2008.
The current ownership group, chaired by Daniel Levy, took over the club in 2001. They have had 11 different managers in that time, including three since the 2019 departure of Mauricio Pochettino.
Conte's contract comes to an end this summer and it would surprise no one if the Italian leaves before the end of the season.
Southampton 3 Spurs 3: Player ratings
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SOUTHAMPTON RATINGS: Gavin Bazunu - 6 Made seven saves to keep Southampton in the game at crucial points. Could do little about the goals. Getty -
Kyle Walker-Peters - 5 His good range of passing was crucial in helping the Saints beat Spurs’ high press early in the game. Had a tough time against Ivan Perisic in the second half. AP -
Romain Perraud - 6 His low cross after three minutes caused chaos in the Tottenham area. Was nowhere to be seen when Pedro Porro found space on his wing to score the opener. Action Images -
Armel Bella-Kotchap - N/A Had to go off after just eight minutes due to an injury. AFP -
Jan Bednarek - 6 Started well but just like his centre-back partner, Bednarek had to leave the pitch in the first half due to broken ribs. Getty -
James Ward-Prowse - 8 Had two good chances from the edge of the box before the ten-minute mark but failed to test Forster. Began the move that led to Walcott’s goal with a well-weighted cross into the penalty area. Kept his cool to slot his late penalty into the top corner and earn Southampton a share of the spoils. AFP -
Romeo Lavia - 7 Looked solid in midfield and helped break up attacks. Found Walcott with a pass that cut through Spurs‘ backline en route to Southampton’s equaliser. Getty -
Theo Walcott - 9 A thorn in the flesh of Spurs defenders in the first half as they struggled to deal with his pace and movement. Rewarded for his hard work when he found Che Adams in the box for Southampton’s equaliser. Got Southampton back into game with a close-range finish to bring the score to 3-2. Action Images -
Stuart Armstrong - 7 Dropped back into midfield to help out in the first half. Got more involved in attack in the second half but didn't really trouble Forster. AP -
Mohamed Elyounoussi - 7 Skipped past three challenges and set up Perraud for a cross in the 15th minute. Linked up well with Perraud on the left-hand side to cause Tottenham problems. AP -
Che Adams - 8 Almost deflected Ward-Prowse’s shot goalwards early on. Showed excellent composure to draw Southampton level despite pressure from two Spurs defenders. AFP -
SUBS: Mohammed Salisu (Bella-Kochap, 8) - 6 Got beaten far too easily on the edge of his penalty area by Kulusevski in the 27th minute. Crucial block against Kane to deny him from point-blank range after the half-hour mark. AP -
Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Bednarek, 34) - 8 His low centre of gravity cost him as Kane jumped above him to head Spurs into the lead. He almost atoned for his error with a shot that Forster tipped over the bar in the 77th minute. Won the penalty that Ward-Prowse scored to drag Southampton level in added time. AP -
Sekou Mara (Che Adams, 70) - 7 Set up Walcott’s goal with a header back into the danger area. Almost drew Southampton level two minutes later but was denied by Forster. AFP -
Kamaldeen Sulemana (Elyounoussi, 70) - 6 Caused plenty of problems for Pedro Porro after coming on. Action Images -
Carlos Alvarez (Armstrong, 70) - 6 Denied by a good block from Hojberg in the 89th minute. Getty -
TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Fraser Forster - 6 Made a good save to deny Perraud in the 72nd minute. Made a better save to deny Niles from the edge of the box soon after. AFP -
Clement Lenglet - 5 Struggled to deal with Walcott’s runs in behind the Spurs backline in the first half. Had a chance to grab the winner with the last touch of the game but he placed his header high and wide. AFP -
Christian Romero - 7 Made a superb last-ditch tackle to deny Ward-Prowse the chance to play Walcott through on goal in the 33rd minute. Showed great awareness to stop Elyounoussi the getting on the end of Walcott’s cross soon after. AP -
Eric Dier - 5 Should have scored when Kulsevski found him with a beautiful cross in the first half. Got beaten in air by Sekou Mara in the build up to Southampton’s second goal. Getty -
Ben Davies - 6 Wasn’t as adventurous as Porro but carried out his defensive duties well. Picked up an injury and had to leave the field before the break. Getty -
Pedro Porro - 7 Should have done better to keep his shot on target when Kulsevski found him in the box early on. Sliced another shot high on his left foot soon after. Finally got it right and put Spurs ahead with a shot into the top corner on the stroke of half-time. PA -
Oliver Skipp - 6 Made a last-ditch tackle to stop Armstrong from running through on goal in the 56th minute. Impressed with his passing until he was replaced late in the game. Getty -
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 6 Worked hard in the middle of the pitch but struggled when Saints piled on the pressure in the second half. Getty -
Richarlison - N/A Disappointed to come off after just five minutes due to an injury. Getty -
Son Heung-min - 6 Displayed good vision to find Porro for Tottenham’s opener. Frustrated by blocks from Southampton’s centre-backs in the second half. PA -
Harry Kane - 7 Surprisingly decided against crossing to his strike partner Son when he was played into space on the right-hand side. Made the wrong decision to shoot when Son seem to be in a better position at the hour mark. Finally got his goal via a glancing header in the 64th minute. AP -
SUBS: Dejan Kulusevski (Richarlison, 5) - 8 Created two good chances in quick succession for Dier and Porro a few minutes after coming on. Assisted Tottenham’s second goal with a beautiful cross that found Kane in the box. Getty -
Ivan Perisic (Davies, 37) - 8 Offered more in attack after replacing Davies. Grabbed Spurs’ third goal with a bouncing shot that left the goalkeeper with no chance. Action Images -
Pape Sarr (Kulusevski, 86) - N/A Caught Maitland-Niles with a high foot and gave away a penalty three minutes after coming on. AFP -
Emerson Royal (Pedro Porro, 86) - N/A. PA
After recently criticising the club's supporters for lacking patience, Conte decided on Saturday to publicly criticise his players and club bosses. “The problem is that, for another time we showed that we are not a team,” said the Italian after the match.
“We are 11 players that go into the pitch. I see selfish players, I see players that don't want to help each other and don't put their heart [in].
“Why? Because they are used to it here, they are used to it. They don't play for something important yeah. They don't want to play under pressure, they don't want to play under stress.
“It is easy in this way. Tottenham's story is this. Twenty years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stays here. I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench.
“You risk to disrupt the figure of the manager and to protect the other situation in every moment.
“Until now I try to hide the situation but now, no because I repeat, I don't want to see what I have seen today because this is unacceptable and also unacceptable for the fans.
“They follow us, pay for their ticket and to see the team another time, to have this type of performance is unacceptable. We have to think a lot about this.”
