SM
Man City vs. Wolves: 2 hrs 6 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Jose Mourinho "cannot blame" Serge Aurier for Leicester defeat

:Headline: Jose Mourinho 'cannot blame' Serge Aurier for Leicester defeat: ID:427446: from db_amp
The full-back conceded a penalty for Jamie Vardy's opener as the Foxes won 2-0 in north London.

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho did not blame Serge Aurier for his side's 2-0 defeat to Leicester.

Aurier brainlessly shoved Wesley Fofana over in first-half injury-time, though referee Craig Pawson needed to check the pitchside monitor to give it, with Jamie Vardy converting the resulting penalty.

Leicester climbed above Spurs in the table after Toby Alderweireld's second-half own goal killed the game as Mourinho's men slumped to a second successive defeat.

Referee Craig Pawson reviews Serge Aurier's foul before awarding a penalty (Frank Augstein/PA)

Only David Luiz has conceded more Premier League penalties than Aurier since he arrived in England in 2017 and Mourinho was seen in the club's Amazon documentary telling the right-back he was scared of him giving away spot-kicks.

But despite knowing it could happen, Mourinho did not criticise Aurier for making the foul.

"Is it a problem? Let's focus on today," he said when asked about Aurier's rash tackles.

"Today he made a mistake but before his mistake in minute 45 or 46 we had other players making mistakes in other areas of the pitch. I can't blame a player for a mistake.

"The penalty was not something that was created, it's not something that comes in the sequence of something great.

There was frustration for Jose Mourinho (Andy Rain/PA)

"For me, it comes completely unrelated to the context at the time, because at the time it was our best period of the first half.

"We started bad, the first maybe 20 minutes was a poor performance, some empty spots in terms of pressing, attitude, recovering the ball.

"I didn't like it at all. During the first half, we changed, adapted the positions, especially in midfield.

"The team improved a lot, we have a period of domination, a couple of good chances. And then the penalty, which was out of context of the game at the moment."

Leicester look like they could be a better bet to challenge Liverpool than Spurs as they moved up to second place.

Wins at Manchester City, Arsenal and now in north London suggest the Foxes will not be a flash in the pan this season, but boss Brendan Rodgers is not getting carried away.

"I thought it was an outstanding team performance. We were very, very good and we deserved to win it," he said.

"We have had a lot of really good performances, in terms of the strategy of the game, Jose is absolutely amazing on the tactical side and we learned from six months ago when we were 3-0 down after half an hour.

"If you look at our players returning, the players have done great, a European campaign, lots of injuries, but they have kept the enthusiasm, spirit and quality, so it is a very pleasing opening third of the season but there is a lot of hard work to do.

"The ambition is to continue improving. We won't get carried away, there is a lot of development to take place in our young players. We will see, it has been a really good start, I am satisfied with where we are at, knowing there are improvements to make."

amp_article__427446 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-12-21 09:01:31:
html db last update - 2021-02-27 23:47:47 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Serge Aurier

Click here for more stories about Tottenham Hotspur

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal36265588286083
2Manchester CityMan City34247382325079
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs341861067541360
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8Chelsea34149116559651
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
10Bournemouth36139145263-1148
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton36129153849-1137
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3579194262-2026
18Luton TownLuton3668224978-2926
19Burnley3559213870-3224
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .