Hugo Lloris, Tottenham’s Player of the Week

After standing strong against of barrage of shots from Manchester City, Hugo Lloris is Tottenham’s undisputed player of the week.

Lloris gave up two goals on the day, but enjoyed a marvellous afternoon at the office, amassing eight saves as Manchester City launched 30 shots toward the Tottenham goal on Matchday. Kevin DeBruyne’s superb passes made City’s goals possible, leaving Lloris without a chance on both tallies. On the three other shots Lloris faced in the first half, the Frenchman gobbled them up without conceding a rebound.

An imperious second half display

Lloris was even better in the second half.

He kept Spurs in the game after the interval, ensuring Tottenham held on to the big point on the the road at City.

He was a commanding presence in the box, fearlessly attacking City crosses, unmoved by any potential collateral damage.

Whether it was coming out to meet a corner – of which City had 13 – or dashing out to beat Sergio Aguero to the ball, Lloris was in complete control of his area, his instincts as good as ever. Eleven times City got off an unblocked shot in the second half, five of which on frame, all beaten away by the Frenchman.

City swung a corner from right to left across the face of the Tottenham defence in the 48th minute. Ultimately the ball reached Oleksandr Zinchenko, who blasted a left footer on target toward Lloris’ left. Toby Alderweireld was between Zinchenko and the goal and deflected the ball. Somehow Lloris managed to catch the trajectory of the ricochet, dive to his right and make a stunning reaction save.

Then, with City mounting relentless pressure just minutes before Lucas Moura came on, Lloris managed to stop both Bernardo Silva and Sterling, both of whom were in on goal in the 53rd and 54th minutes.

Those three opportunities gave Tottenham a chance to equalize. If City were to have scored on any of those opportunities, the Moura goal would have been a mere consolation.

Lloris, even after the tying goal, had two more big saves. Lloris missed a punch from a corner in the 61st minute but scrambled to recover and snatch the rebound off of Nicolas Otamendi’s foot, smothering the ball.

Other than their disallowed goal, City didn’t put another shot on frame for rest of the game. Jesus had a couple of attempts, both which flew off target. Tottenham’s resolve grew thanks to the example Lloris set .

Beyond the saves, Lloris was also solid with his feet, something the Frenchman has struggled with in the past. While his 75% pass completion rate is pretty poor for a keeper, he never put the team in an unrecoverable place and provided a solid foundation to build from the back. 

We’ll remember this day in the future, not for the VAR controversy, but for Tottenham’s resilience and character.

Without Lloris this match would have finished with Tottenham on the losing side. His eight saves, many of which of a difficult variety, along with his decent footwork and imperious command of the penalty area – particularly in the second half – make Lloris a shoo-in as the club’s top performer.