Tottenham 2 Arsenal 2: Mauricio Pochettino frustrated by Spurs’ lack of killer touch
The Argentinian saw his side surrender a 2-1 lead with 14 minutes to go against the 10-man Gunners
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Mauricio Pochettino was left “disappointed and frustrated” yesterday at Tottenham Hotspur’s failure to hold on and beat Arsenal yesterday, with the Argentine head coach admitting he was with the 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane.
With 14 minutes to go, Spurs were 2-1 up, against 10 men, and set to go top of the Premier League before Leicester City’s late kick-off. But Alexis Sanchez equalised for the visitors, leaving Spurs stranded in second.
“You feel a little bit disappointed and frustrated,” Pochettino admitted. “With 11 v 10, when you turn the game, you need to keep hold of that. We are still improving and need to move forward. The feeling is that we missed a big opportunity, but we need to stay positive.”
Pochettino denied, though, that his team threw the game away because of their inexperience. “It is not about maturity, not about character,” he insisted. “I can give you lots of examples of big clubs with experienced players who concede goals in the last minute. Any team can concede a goal like this.”
Arsène Wenger was “happy and proud” with how Arsenal fought for the draw and “refused to lose the game” despite Francis Coquelin’s dismissal. Wenger insisted that Spurs’ Eric Dier should also have seen red, having pulled back Olivier Giroud when already booked.
“I cannot complain about Coquelin,” Wenger said. “I can complain that Dier was not sent off. I could not understand that. [Referee Michael Oliver] looked ruthless with us and different with Tottenham.”
Wenger said that referees should have to justify their decisions post-match, as managers are. “I did not see a reason for [the Dier decision],” he said. “Referees should come into the press conference after the game as well. We are questioned, they should be questioned as well.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments