Arnaut Danjuma insists Tottenham must quickly regroup and remember there is plenty to play for despite a devastating 3-2 home defeat to Bournemouth.
Spurs could have moved level on points with top-four rivals Newcastle with victory on Saturday but they were undone in stoppage time when Dango Ouattara curled home a winner for their relegation-threatened opponents.
Danjuma looked to have rescued Spurs a point with a superb left-footed effort two minutes from time after Son Heung-min’s opener had sandwiched goals from Matias Vina and Dominic Solanke either side of the break for Bournemouth.
With Tottenham looking for a last-gasp winner, Gary O’Neil’s men provided a sucker-punch when Solanke found Ouattara, who cut inside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and found the bottom corner in the fifth minute of added time to inflict a 10th Premier League defeat of the season on the hosts.
“Yeah, the primary feelings we have are disappointment but I think towards the end of the game we’ve done well. We try to win the game and if you are Spurs, you should always try to win,” Danjuma told SpursPlay.
“Inevitably you will leave some space in behind for Bournemouth to counter but I think I would be more disappointed if we didn’t try to go for the win.
“We’re obviously devastated with the result but nevertheless, I am standing here very confident in my team-mates, in the fans and the staff.
“We have seven games left and it all to play for so as long as we focus on the next games, get our conviction back, get our confidence back, there will be nothing to worry about.”
Spurs’ acting head coach Cristian Stellini was forced to defend his tactics after his side ended the game with six attacking players and an unclear formation.
We were not so perfect because we allowed them to score with two mistakes. This is a problem, it's not a tactical problem, it's an individual problem, a mistake— Cristian Stellini
Richarlison and Danjuma were introduced to join Ivan Perisic, Son, Dejan Kulusevski and Harry Kane on the pitch, but the latter was asked to drop deep into midfield.
Stellini, who also replaced substitute Davinson Sanchez after only 23 minutes following boos by his own supporters, insisted the players’ mentality was to blame for the result, not his gung-ho tactics in the final quarter of an hour.
“In that moment, we used Harry in the midfield line,” Stellini revealed.
“We dropped Harry to have more ball and the possibility to play and we used four players to try to attack.
“That was the formation. We have all the quality we can have to try to score. That was the intention.
“It’s a habit we have (dropping deeper), it’s not the first time. It’s a long time that we do this, but we have to be perfect in the defensive situation.
“We were not so perfect because we allowed them to score with two mistakes. This is a problem, it’s not a tactical problem, it’s an individual problem, a mistake.”
Meanwhile, Bournemouth boss O’Neil expressed his disappointment at opposite number Stellini heading straight down the tunnel at full-time and not waiting to shake his hand.
Tottenham had grabbed a stoppage-time winner at the Vitality Stadium in October.
O’Neil told BBC Match of the Day: “When we were on the wrong end at our place, I shook the opposition manager’s hand.
“I was disappointed with them today. I thought to go straight down the tunnel and not shake hands was poor on their part. But it is what it is.”
Stellini did later seek out O’Neil in the tunnel area inside the stadium to shake his hand after the final whistle, the PA news agency understands.
