Eric Dier has claimed on Instagram that Hugo Lloris ‘didn’t deserve to be on the losing side’ as Tottenham Hotspur were downed 2-0 in the Champions League by Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday.
The England defender returned to Lisbon yesterday, after growing up in the city and the club as a young kid, and he added that it was ‘very special’ night for him given the welcome he received from the home supporters.
But whilst Dier sent an emotional message to Lisbon fans, he also singled out Tottenham’s £12 million man (BBC Sport) between the sticks for his strong performance.
FIRST DEFEAT OF THE SEASON
Lloris made a total of six saves against Sporting Lisbon, as both sides had enough chances to win the game, but it was the home team with that killer instinct in front of the goal.
Antonio Conte’s side had their chances, but their sloppy nature was punished, first by Paulinho, who pounced on Tottenham’s poor defending from a set play.
Before Arthur Gomes danced through Tottenham, including nutmegging Lloris on his way to sealing the points for his side.
There was one magical moment that Lloris was involved in when Marcus Edwards’ mazy run nearly resulted in the 23-year-old scoring one of the great Champions League goals.
Dubbed ‘mini-Messi’ by Mauricio Pochettino once upon a time at Hotspur Way, and you could just see why when his incredible run, which included flattening Dier, was stopped at point-blank range by Lloris.
But it’s time for Spurs to move on from this first defeat of the season and pick themselves up against bottom-of-the-table Leicester City at the weekend.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
