A grisly Hugo Lloris injury resulted in the first goal allowed as Tottenham suffered a 3-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, takings its tally to 10 goals conceded this week after a midweek 7-2 loss to Bayern Munich.
Neal Maupay mopped up on a Lloris error in the third minute — the error that cause the Spurs keeper’s injury — and Aaron Connolly added a brace as Brighton won for the second time this season.
The opener came on a cross from Pascal Gross that Lloris caught as he was falling back toward his own goal. The French keeper instinctively let go of the ball to prevent carrying it into his own net, but Maupay was there to head into the ball.
It was a horrible moment for Lloris, made worse by the fact he injured his arm as he fell awkwardly to the pitch.
An error from Lloris leads to an early Brighton lead. pic.twitter.com/ZjouOmQ58U
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 5, 2019
After receiving oxygen, Lloris was stretchered off and taken to a nearby hospital, replaced on the pitch by Paulo Gazzaniga.
A round of applause for Hugo Lloris as he's carted off the field. pic.twitter.com/3P3qHP98yx
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 5, 2019
For a better idea of the grisly nature of the Hugo Lloris injury, these replays show the goalie’s arm bending unnaturally. Just a warning that if you’re a bit squeamish, you may not want to watch.
Hugo Lloris Injury Video
After the match, Spurs coach (for now) Mauricio Pochettino said it was a “big problem in his arm.”
“It was a massive impact after three minutes,” Pochettino said. “It had a massive impact on the game. To concede and lose your captain is a massive impact emotionally and for the team.
“After 30 minutes it was 2-0 and we tried to find a solution, but it was impossible. It’s a very difficult moment but we need to keep going.”
Losing your keeper, captain and a goal so early is certainly a calamitous start, but a 3-0 collapse after the midweek disaster at home to Bayern will only serve to compound the pressure on Spurs and Pochettino.
Here are Connolly’s two goals, which shouldn’t have had anything to do with the Hugo Lloris injury, but which Pochettino seemed to blame on the injury anyway.
Simply too sharp. Brighton double their lead over Tottenham!
Watch this one on NBCSN, or stream it here: https://t.co/MAsK1YsHkv pic.twitter.com/KBK1ITRJbH— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 5, 2019
We are Brighton
Super Brighton pic.twitter.com/fIxiOkJ6xq— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 5, 2019
Tottenham has some time off before hosting Watford after the international break, perhaps the only team underperforming more than Spurs this season. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is undergoing the type of transformation many would like the club to undergo.
And someone please check on Steve Nash.