Tottenham were beaten by Manchester United on Saturday at Old Trafford.
Stuart Pearce believes Tottenham Hotspur suffered a late 1-0 defeat to Manchester United for one reason and one reason only – the absence of top scorer Harry Kane.
Anthony Martial’s late close-range strike broke Spurs hearts at Old Trafford in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off, as he slid home to earn all three points for Jose Mourinho’s side.
It leaves Spurs three points behind United in the Premier League table, as both clubs remain in the battle to keep pace with league leaders Manchester City.
Pearce graded Spurs’ narrow loss as a C+ on Sky Sports’ website, before describing the difference in performance with and without 24-year-old Kane as “frightening”.
“They played well enough,” Pearce said. “The critical scenario for them was Harry Kane missing. I think he turns it in their favour if he’s playing in the game, but he wasn’t there on Saturday and I think it cost them the result.
“It is as straightforward as that with Tottenham. They are another team who can’t handle their key players missing and Kane is so key for them, it’s frightening.”
It remains to be seen if Spurs’ number 10 will be declared fit for Wednesday night’s Champions League clash against Real Madrid at Wembley, as the England international continues to overcome a hamstring strain.
Three points against Zinedine Zidane’s side will see Spurs book their place in the last 16 of the competition, but that result is likely to hinge on whether Kane can declare himself as fit prior to Wednesday night’s outing.
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