By Lori Ewing
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – Up by both a goal and a player, Tottenham Hotspur should never have allowed an equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Everton on Monday, interim manager Cristian Stellini said.
“The approach of the game was good… The only problem?” Stellini said. “When you find the way to score, and you are leading the game 1-0, you have one extra player, you have to be much more lucid in the way you keep the ball.”
The draw against a team which is battling to avoid relegation was a disappointment for Stellini in the Spurs’ first match since manager Antonio Conte was sacked.
Harry Kane scored a penalty in the 68th minute after Michael Keane brought down Cristian Romero in the box.
Keane made up for his blunder in emphatic fashion with a blistering goal in injury time, sending Spurs home with just a point in their race for a top-four finish.
“We didn’t lead the game with the ball,” Stellini said. “After the red card, we had the chance to control the game better than we did. And you have to do it with the ball, because you have one extra player and you have to lead the game.
“But sometimes we were rushed and frantic, we have to improve in this aspect. We know very well it’s a long process and we don’t change in one night.”
Tottenham are fourth in the standings with 50 points from 29 games. Newcastle United and Manchester United also have 50 points, but have played two fewer games.
Fans at Goodison Park chanted that Kane was a “cheater” after his scuffle with Abdoulaye Doucoure led to the midfielder’s red card in the 58th minute. Kane had grabbed the shirt of the Mali international, who reacted by swatting the England captain in the face. Kane then collapsed to the ground in apparent agony.
“The fan (reaction) is normal,” Stellini said. “They are unhappy, but in my opinion it was a clear red card. It happens sometimes, it’s normal.”
Conte was sacked last week following his furious reaction to a 3-3 draw with Southampton in the Premier League – after which he lambasted his players and criticised the club’s culture.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Pritha Sarkar)
