Swansea City manager Garry Monk said his side were extremely unfortunate to slip to a 2-1 English Premier League defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Welsh side dominated for large spells after Wilfried Bony cancelled out Harry Kane’s early opener, and Christian Eriksen’s 89th-minute winner was harsh on the hosts who felt they deserved at least a point.
The defeat means Swansea have yet to beat Tottenham in seven league matches since they won promotion to the top flight three years ago, and Monk was stumped as to how they did not end that run at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday night.
“We were on the front foot the whole of the second half and it’s mesmerising at times how we didn’t win that game, but it’s a classic sucker-punch really for us,” Monk said.
“An individual mistake, giving the ball away when we should have cleared our lines, and obviously [we] get punished heavily for it.
“We didn’t really deserve that, but we come away with no points from a complete effort from us and [being] the only team that looked like they were going to win it.”
Tottenham have made a habit of snatching late away wins in recent weeks, and Eriksen hailed the mentality of his teammates after they did so once again.
“I think we’re a team that does not settle for a point. I think the players were [thinking] that we should go for a win,” said Eriksen, who also scored a last-gasp winner at Hull last month.
“In the end we pressed a bit more, but of course they had chances in the second half.”
The victory moves Tottenham up to seventh place in the standings, and Kane felt referee Robert Madley was wrong to wave away his first-half penalty claims after he appeared to be fouled in the box.
“I think it could have been [a penalty],” he said. “The ref said he thought it was accidental, but obviously sometimes players don’t mean to foul you, it just happens.
“From my point of view I thought it was, but these things happen in games and you’ve just got to move on. Fortunately, it didn’t matter in the end.”
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
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The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
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Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.