Tottenham Hotspur vs. Stoke: Score, Grades and Reaction from Premier League Game

Tottenham rallied too late to come away with a scarcely deserved point on Sunday, as they were beaten, 2-1, by Stoke City at White Hart Lane.

The home side was booed off the pitch at the end of the first half after goals from Bojan Krkic and Jonathan Walters had given Stoke a thoroughly deserved 2-0 advantage in the Premier League encounter.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino changed things around at half-time, but it took until the final 15 minutes for his side to respond, as Nacer Chadli thumped home from an acute angle to give Spurs hope of a remarkable comeback. Spurs pushed hard in the closing minutes, but Stoke ultimately held on for a victory that will only increase the pressure on Pochettino and his underperforming players.

The win sees Stoke leapfrog Spurs, who also saw Kyle Naughton dismissed in the closing minutes, in the table after 11 games. Mark Hughes’ side have 15 points, one better than the North Londoners.

Afterward, Pochettino downplayed any notion that he is under pressure, via the BBC:

"

No, but when you lose you are always unhappy. We need to find a solution very quickly. This is my challenge in the next few weeks.

When we conceded we started to make rash decisions and felt uncomfortable on the pitch. We made some mistakes that are not possible in the Premier League. We were no good in the first half, we tried to fix things in the second half, but at 2-0 down it is difficult.

You never have a long time in football. We need to change mentality.

"

"

Video: Bojan, who joined Stoke past summer, has scored his first English Premier League goal https://t.co/OcvqcexIuN [via @nogolipo]

— barcastuff (@barcastuff) November 9, 2014"

Pochettino finally bowed to the clamour surrounding Harry Kane for this match, giving last weekend’s match winner against Aston Villa his first Premier League start of the season at the expense of Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado. Unfortunately, it was a move that would not pay off, Kane proving to be a peripheral presence until Adebayor was introduced to the game late in the second half.

Kane cannot be blamed completely for that, however, as Spurs as a whole would produce one of the worst 45-minute performances their fans will have seen for a long time. They appeared to be unsure of their responsibilities defensively, disjointed in midfield and utterly out of sync farther forward, with almost every decision they made failing to pan out. Andros Townsend was particularly wasteful, but so were many others.

With Spurs struggling so horribly, Stoke were able to take full advantage. It was Krkic who would break the deadlock, scoring his first Premier League goal after just six minutes. The striker has a reputation as a goalmouth poacher, but his goal came from a strike outside the box, the Spaniard running into space before firing a low shot beyond Hugo Lloris.

Television replays suggested the shot might have flicked off Mame Diouf—who was in an offside position—before beating Lloris, an unlucky break for Spurs that seemed to set the tone for what was to come.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

As the half wore on, Stoke continued to impress, but it took them another 27 minutes to double their advantage. This time, it was Walters who scored the goal, the hard-working midfielder taking advantage of some horrible Spurs defending to get in behind the line and convert Diouf’s low cross.

Pochettino, surely exasperated by what he had seen, made two changes at half-time, bringing in Erik Lamela and Moussa Dembele for a different look in the midfield that would hopefully improve the Spurs display.

Adebayor would be added to the mix soon after, and Spurs slowly began to improve, but it wasn't until 13 minutes remained that they finally got some reward on the scoreline.

"

Chadli's wonderful volley . Stark contrast to Tottenham's performance today. https://t.co/k9ftLADLVn #THFC

— FootySays (@Footysays) November 9, 2014"

The goal came from an unlikely angle but an increasingly familiar source, as Chadli grabbed his sixth goal of the season in emphatic fashion. There appeared to be little danger when Danny Rose’s long cross looped over everyone, but Chadli was alert at the back post and hit a sweet strike that left Asmir Begovic with no chance.

That set up a tense final 10 minutes, with Spurs coming close to an equaliser on a couple of occasions. Ryan Mason and Adebayor both had half-chances, while Kane was presented with another glorious free-kick opportunity in the dying moments.

Unlike last week, however, the striker was unable to find the target, and Spurs were condemned to another disappointing defeat, one capped off by Naughton's straight red card for a horrible challenge on Victor Moses.

On this evidence, and indeed the evidence of recent weeks, Pochettino has plenty of work to do to turn things around. One wonders what chairman Daniel Levy, watching from the stands once again, made of it all.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Player Ratings

Player	Rating
Hugo Lloris	6
Kyle Naughton	5
Federico Fazio	5
Younes Kaboul	5
Danny Rose	6
Etienne Capoue	6
Ryan Mason	6
Nacer Chadli	7
Christian Eriksen	6
Andros Townsend	5
Harry Kane	5
Substitutions
Erik Lamela	6
Moussa Dembele	6
Emmanuel Adebayor	5

Player	Rating
Asmir Begovic	6
Phil Bardsley	6
Ryan Shawcross	7
Marc Wilson	7
Erik Pieters	7
Steve Sidwell	6
Steven Nzonzi	8
Jonathan Walters	7
Victor Moses	7
Bojan Krkic	6
Mame Biram Diouf	6
Substitutions
Geoff Cameron	7
Marc Muniesa	7
Stephen Ireland	6

What's Next?

Stoke have to wait for their next game, with the international break meaning their next Premier League match is against Burnley at the Britannia Stadium on Nov. 22. Tottenham, in contrast, might be grateful for the hiatus; they are due to visit Hull City the following day.