Christian Stellini has expressed regret over Tottenham’s lack of control as they started life without Antonio Conte with a 1-1 draw against Everton on Monday.
Harry Kane’s penalty in the 68th minute was enough for Spurs under Stellini to start with a win.
But Michael Keane’s superb late shot from long range captured the Toffee’s defining moment at Goodison Park, upsetting their patrons.
Stellini was particularly annoyed by the result, especially given the Spurs’ lead for much of the second half after a red card from Abdoulaye Dukur.
“Now I feel like we lost two points,” he told Sky Sports. “We had [extra] man against them, we needed to control the game.
“We tried to make [that] but not in the way I expect. With 11 players we should play much better. You control the game with the ball, not without it.”
Everything ends in a square. pic.twitter.com/qucuSbfl2z
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 3, 2023
The Spurs were also down to 10 in the latter stages when Lucas Moura was sacked for a late attack on Keane before he evened the score.
Stellini, who was standing next to Ducourt when he pushed Kane in the face to earn the red, thought both decisions by umpire David Koot were fair.
“I think Harry missed a lot of red card tackles today,” he said. “Lucas, his capture was too dangerous. Both red cards are clear for me.”
Despite missing out on a win, the draw put Tottenham back in the top four, tying Newcastle United and Manchester United 50 points apart.
Their rivals have two games in hand, but Stellini believes the Spurs can use their experience from last season to qualify for the Champions League.
“It will be a tough race,” he admitted. “But a year ago we had 51 points. We were fifth, and today we are fourth.
“We’re in the same position [as] last season. We must be ready to fight. Now we are thinking about the next game.”