Football
Dan Kilpatrick, Tottenham Correspondent 6y

Pochettino: Swansea 'right to complain' about Llorente goal

SWANSEA, Wales -- Mauricio Pochettino admitted that Swansea were right to feel aggrieved by Fernando Llorente's opening goal in Tottenham's 2-0 win at the Liberty Stadium.

Llorente -- making his first Premier League start for Spurs against his former club -- broke the deadlock on 12 minutes, heading home Christian Eriksen's free kick from close range.

The Spaniard, who did not celebrate, got the wrong side of Federico Fernandez, but replays suggested he was offside in the torrential rain in South Wales.

"I didn't see it, but people say it was maybe offside," the Spurs manager said afterwards. "Always in football you need some luck to open the games. But in the end we deserved the victory.

"It's true that maybe Swansea can complain and they are right to complain, but in football sometimes these things happen for you and against you."

Dele Alli's scappy late winner, his second consecutive goal, from substitute Harry Kane's fine pass sealed Spurs victory but new Swansea boss Carlos Carvalhal claimed the linesman apologised to him after the game for missing Llorente's header.

"I just arrived in the Premier League, so I won't talk about referees," the Portuguese said. "The linesman apologised at the end of the game, I understand all of us make mistakes."

Llorente had failed to impress in 11 substitute appearances in the Premier League before Tuesday and scored his first league goal for Tottenham.

"It was important for him to score, important for him to feel important and involved," Pochettino said. "Always a player needs that. In that situation if you score, even better, because as a striker you need that. It will be a fantastic motivation for him to keep going, working and waiting for his opportunity to play and help the team."

Pochettino hauled off centre-back Davinson Sanchez moments after he was lucky to escape a second yellow card for scything down Martin Olsson on 58 minutes.

The Colombian had been booked in the first half and, asked if he was worried about Sanchez being sent off for the second time in four games, Pochettino said: "Yes I was, I think we were all worried about the second yellow card. I think it wasn't one in the first half.

"The fans, everyone, start to pressure the referee. Sometimes you have to try to avoid a problem."

Carvalhal also noted the timing of the substitution, saying: "Pochettino is a clever manager because he subbed Sanchez at that moment, it's clever and he knows why. After this I won't talk about, they are just the two points I want to make."

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