SOUTHAMPTON – Antonio Conte lambasted his Tottenham Hotspur players as “selfish” after they squandered a 3-1 lead at Southampton to draw 3-3 and drop crucial points in their bid to hang on to fourth place in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Italian, who looked increasingly likely to leave the club by the end of the season, launched an extraordinary tirade.

He questioned the players’ spirit and called their inability to hold on to victory as “unacceptable”.

Goals by Harry Kane and Ivan Perisic appeared to have sealed a win that would have taken Tottenham into third place.

But Theo Walcott pulled one back and then Tottenham substitute Pape Sarr gave away a late penalty that was converted by James Ward-Prowse in stoppage time.

Tottenham have 49 points from 28 games but Newcastle United, in fifth spot, have 47 from 26 games.

“It was not a penalty. But the worst situation is what was happening on the pitch.

“What was happening in the last few months. What is happening in my second season,” Conte said.

“I think that it’s the right moment to speak because I think that after this performance, for me this is unacceptable. We are winning 3-1, in control and concede two goals and Fraser (Forster) made saves.

“It’s better to go into the problem, we are not a team. We are 11 players that go into the pitch.

“I see selfish players, players that don’t want to help each other and don’t put their heart.”

Conte’s tactics were regularly questioned by Tottenham fans who appeared to have lost patience with his methods. But he turned his ire on the players.

“Before today, I try to hide the situation and improve the situation with words,” he said.

“About tactical and technical, it’s one situation, another is the desire, the fire that you need to have in your eyes, your heart.

“You need to have this in every moment. This season compared to last, now we are worse in this aspect. When you are not a team, you cannot improve.”

Conte’s verbal onslaught suggested all is not well in the changing room and sounded like the words of a manager ready to call time on his Tottenham tenure, having managed to get them to fourth place last season after replacing Nuno Espirito Santo.

“The club has the responsibility for the transfer market, the coach has the responsibility. But the players, where are the players? I see only 11 players that play for themselves,” he said.

While Tottenham are still in the hunt for a top-four finish, Conte suggested talk of qualifying for the Champions League as “useless”.

“We don’t have spirit, we’re not putting heart into the pitch for the badge or the sense of belonging,” he said.

“If we don’t have this, we will finish the season really badly. It was a clear problem today but it’s the end of a cycle of bad results. The fans deserve much better than this team.”

Former England internationals Jamie Redknapp and Jamie Carragher suggested Conte was angling for an exit.

Redknapp said on Sky Sports: “His position is becoming untenable – I don’t see where he goes from here.

“I felt he was talking his way out of a job after they lost to Nottingham Forest (in the League Cup)...

“When you start singling out players that’s a sure-fire way to lose a dressing room.”

Carragher added: “Conte wants to be sacked in this international break. Spurs should just put him out of his misery and do it tonight.” REUTERS