Ange Postecoglou defends Tottenham players after late draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou said it "hurts immensely" that his side could not hold out for a win in their 2-2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Rodrigo Bentancur and Brennan Johnson scored for the Londoners to put them ahead after Hwang Hee-chan’s opening strike, only to see Jorgen Strand Larsen pop up in the 87th minute for an equaliser.

Tottenham are 11th in the league after the draw and have only one win from their last seven league games, and Postecoglou conceded it was painful to see a win slip through their grasp.

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"I’m the person in charge, so of course it hurts," he said.

"When I see how hard they are trying, it hurts even more because you want them to get a reward and I think today they deserved a reward for their efforts.

"Even though they were dipping into their reserves of energy, which I don’t even know where they got from, I wanted them to get a reward for their efforts.

"It hurts immensely. At the same time, it’s my responsibility for where we’re at right now, and it’s my responsibility to try to get us out of it.

"It’s fair to say we’re dealing with a fair bit, and it doesn’t feel we’re getting a smooth run at anything in terms of getting players back and allowing us to freshen up the team.

"As soon as we get one back, we lose one. We’ve just got to get through it. There’s still a hell of a lot for us to play for."

After slipping from sixth to the bottom half of the table, Tottenham next play host to Newcastle, and Postecoglou believes that his side are drained after the festive fixture glut, and their injury crisis.

He continued: "We have to try to get some support for the players. Both mentally and physically and in terms of numbers, to give them the opportunity to play at their best.

"They’re very disappointed, but it’s not through the want of trying."

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