No excuses from Pochettino as Spurs held to a draw

SOUTHAMPTON

Sanchez og 15

TOTTENHAM

Kane 18

1

Mauricio Pochettino admits Spurs were hit by a virus last week but insisted that was no excuse for their sloppy display at Southampton.

Christian Eriksen was a surprise absentee from the Tottenham squad as he and Hugo Lloris were both struck down by illness and unable to travel.

Harry Kane nodded in a Ben Davies corner for his 99th league goal on 18 minutes. It cancelled out Davinson Sanchez’s own-goal moments earlier but a belowpar Tottenham were held to a 1-1 draw and missed the chance to move into the Premier League’s top four. They will fall five points behind Liverpool if Jurgen Klopp’s men beat Swansea tonight.

Pochetttino, who took his team on a warm-weather training camp to Barcelona last week, would not name the players affected by illness as he maintained they had all recovered.

“A few players were affected last week but it’s not an excuse,” he said. “We are disappointed because our game wasn’t great, our performance wasn’t the best. The game was even and full credit to Southampton because they fight and play well.

“I think it is a fair result in the end, 1-1. There were massive chances we had in the last minute with Harry Kane but at the end, if you analyse the game, it’s a fair result.” Striker Abi Harrison is expected to become the latest Hibernian player to make her full Scotland debut in today’s friendly against Russia at the Pinatar Arena in Spain.

The 20-year-old is unlikely to start, but head coach Shelley Kerr indicated she will come on as a sub. “Abi will potentially get some minutes,” said Kerr, who gave a debut to Hibs goalkeeper Jenna Fife towards the end of Friday’s 3-0 defeat against Norway at La Manga.

The head coach had earlier promised to give every one of her 23 players game time in the two friendlies. That, unfortunately, will not apply to Hibs captain Joelle Murray. The central defender has a stressrelated foot injury – and having watched the Norway game from the stand will not be considered against Russia either.

Kerr is expected to make eight changes to the side which started against Norway, and Manchester City central defender Jen Beattie could wear the captain’s armband.