Hugo Lloris calls for ‘personal investment’ from Tottenham team-mates after clash with Son Heung-min

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris says the incident between himself and Son Heung-min against Everton showed that the team are ighting for each other and to improve the team’s fortunes in a disappointing season.

Spurs won the game 1-0 thanks to a Giovani Lo Celso shot which deflected in off Michael Keane, but the big talking point saw Lloris and Son clash just before half time.

The skipper was apparently unhappy that his team-mate did not work harder to get back into position and close down an Everton attack, which led to a shot just off target, seconds before the break.

After the game, though, Lloris insisted that the flashpoint was merely an example of how the team are staying accountable and working harder for one another.

“Personal investment was much better than in the last game,” he told Sky Sports.

“[What I said,] it belongs to the changing room. Outside you can say whatever you want; there’s respect between all the players.

“What happened between me and Sonny is something that is part of football but there’s no problem and it happens sometimes. You can see at the end of the game we are more than happy to be part of the team and have three points.

“To concede a chance before half time because we don’t make the pressing properly, it annoyed me, but it’s part of football. No problem, move on.”

The captain also spoke frankly about Spurs’ plight in 2019/20, where they have struggled for consistency and still face a fight to secure European football for next season.

“We are in a situation we need to fight against; we’re not happy with it but the most important is to focus on the team and [do] everything to finish as high as we can.

“We can only do it as a team. When you do a season like this one it’s easy to fall apart as a team. But today we showed we are still together, ready to fight together until the end.

“Obviously we don’t have the right to lose more points so it’s important to have consistency in performances. 1-0 was enough, the most important is we kept a clean sheet; make the effort together and for sure it’s going to pay.

“We are in a situation we are not happy with so we have to fight, against ourselves, against the opponent, to make sure we go in the same direction.

“It’s not our best season but we need to give our best and we cannot accept the result against Sheffield [United]. Now we move on, bounce back as a team and that’s the most important thing.”

The win over Everton sent Spurs back into eighth place, one point behind local rivals Arsenal.

Read more

Player ratings as Spurs edge past Everton thanks to Keane own-goal