Sam Allardyce explains Matheus Pereira decision following West Brom defeat

Goals from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min saw Jose Mourinho’s side secure a comfortable 2-0 victory in London.

Allardyce raised eyebrows with his team selection before kick-off with Pereira dropped to the bench despite having scored five goals in six games.

That decision, the boss said, allowed him to play a 4-3-3 system which was more 4-5-1 due to the dominance Spurs enjoyed with the ball.

And after his team fell to yet another defeat, Allardyce admitted the Brazilian was unlucky to find himself out the team.

“We have tried every system but 4-3-3,” he said.

“I hope this doesn’t confuse you but we wanted to be a 5-4 to contain the opposition.

“We couldn’t do that with Matheus because we play him just off the front man which would have been a 4-4-1-1.

“So to try and get the ultimate clean sheet we were working with the extra man in midfield. The extra energy, the extra legs.

Matheus is a quality player in possession, a player that can provide and open up. But that’s no good if we keep conceding goals.

But in the end, that system didn’t work and I’ve tried everyone.

“I’ve tried a back five, I’ve tried a back three, I have tried a 4-4-2, a 4-4-1-1, a 4-3-3.

“He was unfortunate to be left out to be fair. It wasn’t that he hasn’t performed well because he has. It’s because we are failing at the other end.”

The 2-0 loss to Spurs means Albion have now conceded 28 goals in 10 games under Allardyce.

That is the joint-most a team has conceded in a manager's first 10 games in charge of a Premier League side.

Danny Wilson, who was in charge of Barnsley, Nigel Adkins, who was in charge of Southampton, and Slavisa Jokanovic, who was in charge of Fulham, share the unwanted record.

And Allardyce felt poor defending against Tottenham was the reason his side were again on the end of a defeat.

“Until we stop the ball going into our net then life is going to be increasingly difficult for us,” he continued.

“I’m still facing the same problems after 10 games - that I faced when I arrived.

“My work, making the team defend better and for a full 90 minutes, is far from done.

“Those lapses of concentration keep costing us points and goals.

“Harry Kane was in our box with nobody making him - that is somewhat bewildering to me.

And then the second goal, we were in a good attacking position.

“Son and Kane both scored because of our weaknesses. If you give them those chances they won’t miss.”

Despite Albion’s miserable form, Allardyce insists there is no problem with the player’s application.

“There is no lack of effort from this squad of players,” he added.

“There is no lack of effort whatsoever. They are all trying the best they can. I can’t point the finger at anybody for not giving everything they have got.”