Antonio Conte claims Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, despite his forgettable moment in the north London derby. World Cup winner France had an awkward strike across Bukayo Saka’s cross deflecting it into the net, before the Gunners fired up to pull off a 2-0 win in Spurs territory.
Tottenham went toe to toe with their north London rivals in the early stages of Sunday’s derby. Ryan Sessegnon was a bright spark on the left flank and there were some nice touches from youngster Pape Matar Sarr, who was given a huge vote of confidence to start in a crucial Premier League clash.
However, things began to unravel when Lloris unleashed Saka’s cross into his own net with less than 14 minutes left on the clock. The rowdy home crowd died down and Mikel Arteta’s Gunners started when talisman Martin Odegaard doubled the lead with a well-placed shot into the bottom corner.
The Lloris incident sparked complaints from home fans and caused an uproar at the visiting winger, but Conte was unwavering in his support for the veteran, who he says is one of the best goalkeepers on the planet.
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Spurs signed Fraser Forster in the summer, but he has been unable to pose a serious threat to Lloris’ No. 1 spot. The Frenchman will end his contract in 2024, by which time he will be approaching his 38th birthday, and there are rumors that Conte will seek his replacement for the start of next season.
Everton star Jordan Pickford and Brentford stopper David Raya are rumored to be interested in planning the Lilywhites for the future. Despite Conte suffering a defeat against bitter rivals Spurs at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he chose not to be entirely pessimistic about his overall performance.
“I’m not disappointed because we knew the match could be very difficult, but Arsenal are a really strong team and also tonight they showed that they deserved to stay at the top of the league as title contenders,” he added.
“In my opinion, Arsenal and [Manchester] City is the only team that can fight for the title this season. At the same time I am disappointed. We started well but then we conceded a goal and after this goal we created an important chance with [Heung-min] Son and the goalkeeper made a fantastic save and then we conceded another goal.”