Jose Mourinho says "the best team lost" after Spurs defeated Southampton in the FA Cup.

Tottenham Hotspur coach Jose Mourinho says "the best team lost" after Spurs defeated Southampton 3-2 in the FA Cup fourth-round replays.

Jose Mourinho said Southampton were the better team after Tottenham's 3-2 win in the FA Cup fourth-round replay on Wednesday.

The Lilywhites were on the edge of being knocked out of the competition with less than 20 minutes remaining as Shane Long and Danny Ings found the net to overturn Jack Stephens own goal earlier in the match.

Lucas Moura levelled the score before South Korea international Heung-Min Son wrapped up the win from the penalty spot to secure a spot in the next round of football's oldest competition.

Speaking after the game, Mourinho said as Sky Sports reported: "The best team lost. The best team on the pitch lost. If you look at it in a pragmatic way, forgetting that they had their best players, they had their full team, they had one more day to rest, we were really in trouble.

"We were in real, real trouble to build a team, lots of fatigue after the match against Manchester City... if you forget these important items and you analyse in a simple pragmatic way, the best team lost.

"They were better than us, they were faster than us, they were stronger physically than us. They press, they had intensity, they had chances.

"They were the best team, but I cannot forget all the other circumstances, and my players, they were phenomenal. The way they react was fantastic. They showed incredible heart and had a great connection with the crowd.

"They gave absolutely everything. I think the best team lost, but we deserved to win."

Spurs have only kept three clean sheets in 19 games under Mourinho's reign, a worrying stat that will concern the Portuguese.