Tottenham Hotspur advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday evening as they beat Southampton 3-2 in a ding-dong tie.

An own goal from Jack Stephens gave Spurs a first-half lead but Danny Ings equalised before half-time and then put Saints in front on 72 minutes.

Jose Mourinho’s men managed to rally, however, and Lucas Moura equalised before a penalty was awarded on 87 minutes after goalkeeper Angus Gunn fouled Son Heung-Min. The South Korea international stepped up to score the penalty.

In his player ratings, Football.London correspondent Alasdair Gold called attention to the performance of midfielder Eric Dier.

The England international has been in and out of the Spurs team throughout the season and last completed the 90 minutes in the Premier League in December, in the 2-1 win over Wolves.

And Gold, who gave him a rating of 5/10, believes that he is stuck in a “vicious circle”.

He wrote: “It’s a vicious circle for Dier.

“He needs games to get his sharpness back but looks so incredibly rusty when he does play that it leaves Spurs vulnerable at times.

“Played his part late on though with some important interceptions.”

It does appear to be a difficult time for Dier, who is struggling for rhythm in north London.

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His start against Southampton on Wednesday was his 11th in the season overall; if he is to improve, as Gold says, he needs to play more regularly.

If he keeps turning in 5/10 performances, though, he is unlikely to be given many more chances.

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