Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that his side were "poor" during their 1-0 Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen this evening.

Spurs made it two defeats from two European outings at Wembley this season to leave their hopes of qualifying from Group E hanging by a thread.

An uncharacteristically error-strewn display was compounded by losing Mousa Dembele to injury in the first half, but Pochettino refused to offer any excuses for the performance.

"We were poor. I have nothing to say about Wembley, we were poor. If we analyse the game we created the same number of chances and have more possession but the feeling was always that is was difficult to score," he told reporters.

"We don't have the freedom to play and show real quality. After two games at Wembley, both have been poor. It is not an excuse, it is the truth. Mousa Dembele is an important player for us but it is not an excuse. He twisted his ankle and cannot continue in the game.

"We need to improve and change some things. We are in a bad moment. After Manchester City we don't win and we need to be critical and find answers."

Spurs are now winless in their last six matches in all competitions heading into Sunday's North London derby against Arsenal at the Emirates.