Ryan Mason has criticised Tottenham’s ‘terrible’ defending after his side lost 4-3 to Liverpool in an enthralling game at Anfield.
Spurs endured a nightmare start after conceding three goals inside the opening 15 minutes, but showed character to fight back into the game.
Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min pulled goals back for the north Londoners, before Richarlison’s first Premier League goal for the club looked to have snatched a draw in stoppage-time.
Spurs, however, conceded just 99 seconds after Richarlison’s goal as Diogo Jota punished Lucas Moura’s mistake to win the game for Liverpool.
Mason bemoaned his side’s ‘terrible’ defensive mistakes and said Spurs’ slow start made it ‘almost impossible’ to get a result.
“To give a team a three goal lead makes it almost impossible to come back from,” Mason told Sky Sports.
“The feeling is that we can score goals and hurt opponents. We created chances, they didn’t give us anything we had to work for that. To equalise at the end and then give away another goal is so hard to take.
“I probably speak for everyone that there was some fear [after conceded three goals]. To give a team goals, it’s hard to understand why. We need to address that and be better. After that we showed togetherness.
“I don’t know how many shots they had on target but it felt like we had more.
“This is the Premier League, it’s relentless and you have to be ready to fight for 95 minutes. We conceded three terrible goals and it’s hard to explain why that happened. It’s tough to take.”
Mason was furious with the referee’s decision not to send off match-winner Jota, who fortuitously escaped a red card for a high boot on Oliver Skipp.
“Honestly, it’s probably the clearest red card you will see on the football pitch. I need an explanation. It endangered the opponent, Skipp needs stitches and Jota has scored the goal when he shouldn’t be on the pitch.”
