Spurs denied by a tale of two keepers
TOTTENHAM manager Jose Mourinho insisted Hugo Lloris is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League despite his unwanted role in Crystal Palace’s goal in a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park.
Lloris was unable to hold Eberechi Eze’s free-kick, which allowed Jeffrey Schlupp to ram home an 81st-minute equaliser that cancelled out Harry Kane’s first-half opener.
It was a story of two goalkeepers as Vicente Guaita then made two stunning saves to make amends for his firsthalf error and deny Spurs a winner.
Tottenham would have been relieved Liverpool then failed to win at Fulham, but this was still a chance missed.
Spurs had to defend a barrage of second-half pressure, so Schlupp’s equaliser was well deserved. But Lloris was exonerated by Mourinho afterwards.
‘My goalkeeper is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League so I would never be critical of the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, period,’ he said.
‘If I have to blame anybody I have to blame ourselves, the team. The ones that win, the ones that draw and the ones that lose.
‘Some guys they have the philosophy of they lost, we drew and I won but that’s not us. Us is everything is about us. At half-time I told the players exactly the opposite that we did in the second half, but if they didn’t do it, [it] was because they couldn’t do it.
‘It was because they were not able to do it. I give credit to Palace for that. I always say, even if you want to press high, if the ball is in the air you cannot press. There is nothing to press.’
Palace boss Roy Hodgson believes his side were worthy of a point for their display in the second period.
‘I thought our second-half performance was of top-drawer quality and the equaliser was well deserved after a sustained spell.
‘In the last five minutes or so Vicente showed his true qualities. He made two magnificent saves.
‘The goalkeeper is a very important part of every team and we are fortunate we have a very good one.’