Defeat: Antonio Conte
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Tottenham manager Antonio Conte says he was happy with his team at half-time against Liverpool despite trailing 2-0.
Mohamed Salah scored twice in the first half to hand the Reds their first away win of the league season, both goals aided in large part by poor defending by Spurs.
But Conte, the manager insists, was happy at the break, before watching his team's much-improved second-half display.
"It is difficult to explain the defeat tonight, we deserved much more but also after the first half in the dressing room I was happy with the desire and what we did," he told Sky Sports.
"We put a lot of pressure on Liverpool and were 2-0 down but we didn't know why. In the second half we played really well. Their goalkeeper made good saves and we hit the post and the crossbar. I think the result is unfair."
Ivan Perisic hit the woodwork twice as Spurs mounted a fightback, but although Harry Kane pulled one back with 20 minutes remaining, that was as good as it got for the home side, who slipped below the Magpies as a result.
Conte continued: "It is difficult to explain this type of game. For sure the performance was good. We are managing a situation with many, many injuries and we need to find new solutions.
"This type of performance against a team like Liverpool gives me satisfaction as it shows the hard work works."
