Paulo Gazzaniga stepped in for Hugo Lloris and made 12 saves as Spurs lost 2-1 to Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield.
Even Arsenal legend Ian Wright couldn’t help but praise Paulo Gazzaniga after Tottenham Hotspur’s stand-in goalkeeper produced an exceptional performance during Sunday’s narrow defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, while speaking on Match of the Day 2 (BBC 1, 10.30pm. 27 October).
The Premier League leaders secured a vital victory in front of their own supporters on Sunday afternoon with a Jordan Henderson volley and a Mo Salah penalty ensuring that Harry Kane’s early opener counted for nothing in the end.
But a 2-1 scoreline could have been 4-1 or 5-1 instead if it wasn’t for the exceptional Gazzaniga. Only starting because of a long-term injury to regular number one Hugo Lloris, the former Southampton youngster made a staggering 12 saves, including a remarkable reflex stop to tip a Virgil van Dijk bullet over the bar.
And Arsenal legend Wright was full of praise.
“I have to say the goalkeeper was magnificent today,” Wright said of the Argentine international, before hailing a much-improved display from a Spurs side still stuck in mid-table.
“The closing down, they really did start this game intensified. They closed down with pace and organisation and they really made it difficult for Liverpool. They really put the pressure on them.”
Manager Mauricio Pochettino will soon have a very difficult decision to make. Lloris has been a so far below his best in recent months and the fact that he suffered a dislocated elbow while gifting Neal Maupay a goal in that 3-0 defeat to Brighton sums up how things have been going recently.
More displays like this from Gazzaniga and Lloris certainly won’t be guaranteed a place between the sticks when he returns.
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