Tottenham boss Pochettino praises Brighton after Amex draw

Tottenham Hotspur manager Maurico Pochettino lauded Brighton & Hove Albion's threat and always knew his side were in for a tough clash tonight at the Amex.
Mauricio Pochettino. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)Mauricio Pochettino. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)
Mauricio Pochettino. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)

Harry Kane's 47th-minute opener was quickly levelled up by a Pascal Gross penalty just two minutes later to ensure honours ended even in the Premier League clash.

The point saw Albion move onto 36 for the season and extended the gap on the bottom three to eight points, while Spurs remain fourth, eight points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea.

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The Londoners made six changes from the side that lost to Manchester City on Saturday, with one eye on their FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United on Saturday.

But the Spurs boss stressed he did not underestimate Brighton and said: "We knew Brighton's performance here when facing big teams is good.

"They try to play well with very good players, have an unbelievable manager and we knew that before.

"You're never happy when you draw but credit to Brighton. It was difficult for us in the first 45 minutes.

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"The second half we started really well, we scored but then we conceded and that's disappointing.

"We created chances to win the game, we dominated the second half but in the end a draw is one point more and now we'll try to be focused on Saturday."

On Brighton's penalty, Pochettino said: "I don't know. For me it's so difficult, we suffered on Saturday too. It's a second penalty in a row and I'm disappointed with the situation."

On making six changes, Pochettino said: "We tried to add fresh legs to match their physical condition.

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"I was thinking about today and trying to win. On Saturday evening we finished really late and some players needed to rest and some needed to be on the bench.

"We have a strong squad and everyone is ready to play. It was an opportunity to give some fresh legs to the team."