Tottenham Hotspur might have won over the weekend, but it was hardly a performance for Cristian Stellini to be proud of, as they crawled over the line amidst numerous dubious refereeing decisions that swung the game in their favour.
Hosting an impressive Brighton and Hove Albion side that have more than earned their praise for this campaign, Roberto De Zerbi was bringing his outfit full of confidence that they could topple a struggling Lilywhites outfit.
Their 65% possession and 17 shots certainly suggested they nearly did so too, and that is without mentioning the penalty that they have since been told they should have had. Instead, the visitors have had to settle for zero points and yet another PGMOL apology.
That is not to suggest that there were no positives for the hosts to take, as the three points that were questionably gained have kept them somewhat in the fight for top four.
It also saw a return to form for Harry Kane and most notably Heung-min Son, who both scored in the same match once again.
However, they papered over the cracks of another all-around poor display by a few key individuals who are all perhaps overstaying their welcome.
None embodies this stance more so than Hugo Lloris, who has recently returned to the lineup.
How did Hugo Lloris play vs Brighton?
Although Saturday did not represent the Frenchman’s poorest display in a Spurs shirt, he continues to inspire little faith in his defenders with an ever-erratic style of goalkeeping.
Not for the first time did the 36-year-old come charging out from a corner only to get a weak fist onto the ball, narrowly avoiding another embarrassing mistake to add to the four that have led to a goal already this season.
His performance earned him a 6.7 rating, making just three saves and one high claim. However, it was the distribution of the £100k-per-week stopper that truly let him down. The ageing 'keeper would maintain an abysmal 45% pass accuracy, completing just 14 passes. Only three of the 20 long balls attempted actually found a man too, as per Sofascore.
As the modern-day goalkeeper evolves, constantly demanding more from them to contribute to the build-up, Lloris only gets left even further behind.
It was even a surprise to see him so quickly displace Fraser Forster, considering the gulf in quality hardly merits such a rapid recall.
Not only this, but those aforementioned VAR calls also bailed out the captain, with Alexis Mac Allister's deflection “bamboozling” the Frenchman, as per journalist Tom Barclay, for the Seagulls’ second disallowed strike.
This summer marks a huge one for Daniel Levy, who must get plenty right to ensure his outfit does not continue to stagnate.
Whilst a new manager will be top of his priorities, perhaps following that, with the transfer war chest he will likely have to promise, some funds could be invested into finally displacing Lloris this summer.
