Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said his side were suffering from “stress and fatigue” after they slipped to defeat at home to West Ham in the Premier League.
Michail Antonio’s superb second-half strike was enough to inflict Spurs’ first loss after five games in their new stadium. Spurs face Ajax in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday, their eighth game in April.
“The stress and the fatigue arrived. We are competing with circumstances that are not the best,” Pochettino said. “We arrived for this game in a different condition and that was an important factor in the second half. It was really tough today.
“We cannot say now we were thinking about Tuesday. We wanted to win the three points to be in our position and arrive to the Champions League game in a very good mood and way, but it wasn’t and now we need to move on.”
Until yesterday, third-placed Spurs had won all four of their games since moving into Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this month.
Antonio’s goal in the 67th minute was the first they had conceded at home since moving into their new stadium and means they are not yet certain of finishing in the top four and securing Champions League football next season.
Victory ended a run of four games without a win for West Ham, who remain 11th in the table with two games to play this season.
