Pochettino: I don’t regret shuffling Tottenham pack
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino insisted he harboured no regret after his much-changed side failed to haul themselves level on points with third-placed Liverpool as Brighton secured a potentially priceless Premier League draw.
On the anniversary of their promotion to the top flight, Brighton produced a rapid response to striker Harry Kanes opener to ease their relegation worries as Pascal Gross calmly converted a spot-kick.
A draw left Tottenham in fourth place – two points adrift of Liverpool – a position which would leave them needing to navigate a play-off during the early stages of next season if they are to reach the Champions League group stage.
But Pochettino was unrepentant after making six changes from Saturdays defeat to champions Manchester City and resting Dele Alli and Davinson Sanchez altogether, especially with this weekends FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United firmly in mind.
“We wanted to try and give to the team some fresh legs,” said Pochettino. “Saturday evenings game was so tough, mentally and physically, and we needed to rotate some players.
“I think we have the squad to still win games. Todays draw was not because we rotated and some players played and others didnt. The most important thing is the big picture.
“We have a bigger squad with very good players and everyone is ready to play. The game was tough. Brighton was a very difficult opponent and we need to give credit to them too.”
The stalemate moved Brighton to 36 points, eight clear of the relegation zone – the significance of which is heightened by a tough run-in that includes fixtures against Burnley, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.
“Its a step closer [to safety] and what I was most delighted with was the character of the team to react the way we did after conceding the way we did,” said Brighton manager Chris Hughton. “We showed great character and quality.”
Despite plenty of activity the first half was a tame affair, with the visitors carving out the best chance deep into stoppage time, only for Heung-min Son to be denied by a firm one-handed save from Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan.
The deadlock, however, was broken moments into the second period as calamitous Brighton defending resulted in Son skipping past centre-half Lewis Dunk on the byline and providing the ammunition for Kane to lash home.
Brightons response was instantaneous. A mere 18 seconds after the restart the hosts were awarded a penalty following a foul by Serge Aurier on Jose Izquierdo. Gross levelled by firing low beyond Tottenham stopper Hugo Lloris.
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