3 Instances where Hugo Lloris saved Tottenham Hotspur
Hugo Lloris is one of Tottenham’s key players since his arrival in North London in the summer of 2012. He has made 314 appearances for the Lilywhites so far and is one of the most experienced campaigners in Jose Mourinho’s squad. He has completed 250 games for Spurs in the Premier League, which is an impressive achievement.
The World Cup winner was named Tottenham’s permanent captain in August 2015 by then-manager Mauricio Pochettino, replacing the outgoing Younes Kaboul. Since then, he has led the team brilliantly and helped Spurs reach the Champions League final last season.
The 33-year-old had been a regular starter for the past eight years but an elbow injury against Brighton earlier in the campaign kept him out of action for several months.
His return to the squad has been a major boost for the team as they look to progress further in the Champions League and are pushing hard for a top-four finish in the Premier League. Let’s take a look at 3 instances where Lloris was a standout performer for the Lilywhites.
Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal (2/3/2019)
After back-to-back defeats against Burnley and Chelsea, Pochettino’s side faced the Gunners at home. Tottenham had never felt a pressure in a North London derby for a few years prior to this game as Arsenal put in a string of dangerous attacks.
Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring in the 16th minute of the game after latching on to a pass from Alexandre Lacazette. They were on course to defeat Tottenham for the first time under Pochettino but Harry Kane’s penalty levelled the scores.
The Gunners were then gifted a penalty in the final minute of the game and Lloris denied Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The game ended in a draw and eventually, Spurs went on to claim the last Champions League spot at the end of the season with just one point above Arsenal, who finished 5th with 70 points.
Tottenham 2-0 Manchester City (2/2/2020)
Tottenham’s poor start to the season resulted in the sacking of Pochettino and former Chelsea boss Mourinho was appointed at the helm. They had been inconsistent throughout the season and City entered the game as favourites.
However, goals from Steven Bergwijn and Son Heung-Min were enough to seal all three points Tottenham but it was Lloris who put in an impressive display after his return from a long absence.
Spurs were under pressure right from the start but Pep Guardiola’s men missed a chance to take the lead after the French shot-stopper saved Ilkay Gundogan’s penalty. City dominated with 14 shots. Lloris made 5 saves, including three from inside the box and finished the match with a rating of 8.8 from Whoscored.
Tottenham 0-1 RB Leipzig (19/2/2020)
Though last season’s finalists were defeated by the German outfit, Lloris was once again present to save them from humiliation. He was in impeccable form and withstood a string of attacks from Leipzig.
Had it not been for the 33-year-old, Tottenham would have lost the game in the first 45 minutes. He made 4 crucial saves in the first half of the game. It only took the Bundesliga side a penalty to defeat Spurs in the end.
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Lloris allowed them to score only one goal and has kept Tottenham in the tie, with the return leg to be played on March 10 at the Red Bull Arena.
