Pressure on Pochettino as Spurs lose 3-0 at Brighton
BRIGHTON, England (AP) — Tottenham followed up its midweek thrashing at Bayern Munich’s hands by plunging to a 3-0 loss at Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday, raising further questions about Mauricio Pochettino’s ability to motivate last season’s Champions League runner-up.
Another dreadful error by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris led to Tottenham conceding inside three minutes, the goal compounded by the France captain sustaining a serious elbow injury and requiring oxygen as he was carried off the field.
Aaron Connolly, an unheralded 19-year-old forward, then scored either side of halftime for Brighton, which hadn’t won in the league since the opening day of the season.
There were chants of “You’re getting sacked in the morning” by Brighton fans aimed at Pochettino, whose position came under renewed scrutiny after Tottenham lost 7-2 to Bayern in the Champions League on Tuesday. That was the first team Spurs had conceded seven goals in a home match in any senior competition in their 137-year history.
Now comes a third, and heaviest, loss after eight games of the Premier League campaign. And last week, there was the embarrassing elimination from the League Cup by fourth-tier Colchester in the third round.
Pochettino is in his sixth year as Tottenham manager, sparking fears he has taken the team as far as he can and that things have gone stale at the club amid tensions in the squad.
Only four months ago, Spurs were playing in the Champions League final against Liverpool.
They might have to cope without Lloris for a while, too.
He backpedaled toward his own goal after misjudging a cross and had to drop the ball to stop himself carrying it over the line. As he fell back, he landed awkwardly on his left elbow, while Neil Maupay headed the loose ball into the net from one meter out.
Lloris received five minutes of treatment and the reporter for broadcaster BT Sport said the goalkeeper was screaming in agony as he was carried through the tunnel toward an ambulance bound for the hospital.
The France goalkeeper also made an error in Tottenham’s last league game, a 2-1 win over Southampton, when he was caught in possession near his own goal line.
