Oriol Romeu has become an important player in Southampton's midfield, and fans were quick to praise him after Sunday's clash against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

The 25-year-old, who joined the club from Chelsea in 2015, has started all but one of the Saints' top-flight games this season.

The defensive midfielder's ability to tackle and intercept balls has made him a solid figure in Claude Puel's team.

Fans were particularly interested in how he would fare going up against Victor Wanyama, who left Southampton for Tottenham last year.

The verdict was positive as Romeu more than held his own in the middle of the park at White Hart Lane.

Unfortunately for Southampton, though, they came away with nothing as Spurs saw out a 2-1 victory.

Christian Eriksen opened the scoring inside the first quarter of an hour and Dele Alli doubled their lead from the spot after being awarded a controversial penalty in the 33rd minute.

Southampton were denied a penalty of their own when Dusan Tadic was brought down in the box, and even though James Ward-Prowse found the back of the net, it was not enough to lead a comeback.

Despite the result, plenty of fans singled out Romeu for praise.

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