Hull boss Mike Phelan laments missed chances in Tottenham loss
Wednesday 14 December 2016 23:33, UK
Mike Phelan lamented his team’s missed opportunities after seeing Hull lose 3-0 at Tottenham to leave them with just one win in 11 Premier League games.
Phelan's side fell behind to a Christian Eriksen goal but had good chance to draw level either side of half-time.
In particular, Jake Livermore will feel he should have converted at least one of his openings, two of which were well saved by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Moments after Livermore's last shot was kept out, Eriksen grabbed a second and Victor Wanyama sealed what was ultimately a comfortable win for the home side.
"We did okay in the first half. We restricted Tottenham to just having possession of the ball," Phelan said.
"Going in 1-0 down was disappointing but we had belief at half-time that the next goal was probably going to be the turning point in the game.
"We had the opportunities, to be fair, in the early exchanges of the second half. We didn't take them and it's resulted in us coming away from Tottenham 3-0 down.
"It's something that we'll keep talking about, keep looking at, trying to take the positives - and there were a few. We build on for the next one.
"We've had our moments when we haven't done ourselves justice but I think overall we've played well.
"We've ended up losing the game by bigger margins. There might be something in that where we maybe take too many risks.
"But I thought we were positive today. I thought we pushed on, we held Tottenham into their defensive third at times, we restricted them from playing at times playing out from the back.
"That was all good. It's just the case that at the top end, you've got to score those chances when they come your way which gives you belief.
"When we didn't do that, Tottenham had that experience and that quality that can open you up in an instant."
Phelan's team remains second bottom of the table, just a point ahead of Sunderland and with a much poorer goal difference.
Indeed, only Middlesbrough have scored fewer goals and nobody has conceded as many. That leaves the Hull manager in need of reinforcements next month when the transfer window opens.
He added: "I think we're looking at improving the group and the squad. January is always a tricky window anyway.
"But we definitely need to be adding that little bit extra to give not only the club and the supporters a lift and belief going into the second half of the season but also the players.
"They need a bit of a refresher. They need to see that little bit of momentum going into the second part of the season and hopefully we can do that."
