Pochettino says Kane will learn from goal-gate controversy amid criticism
Mauricio Pochettino defended Harry Kane, who was awarded Tottenham's second goal against Stoke City after successfully appealing.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino insisted Harry Kane will learn a lot from his goal controversy after sparking backlash from rival supporters.
Two-time reigning Golden Boot winner Kane has been criticised after he was awarded Tottenham's second goal from their 2-1 victory over lowly Stoke City in the Premier League last week.
The England international striker appealed to the Premier League after the goal was initially awarded to Spurs team-mate Christian Eriksen, though the decision was overturned by the league's Goal Accreditation Appeals Panel.
Kane's appeal generated criticism online, with Liverpool rival Mohamed Salah – who tops the goalscoring charts by four goals – among those to respond to the contentious decision.
Speaking ahead of Tottenham's clash with champions-elect Manchester City on Saturday, Pochettino said: "Of course, he never thought that this situation would escalate, when he was so certain that he touched the ball.
"After the game Harry said he touched the ball with a shoulder, he told Christian. I think Harry is a very honest person, he's not going to lie about this situation. It's not a big issue for the team.
"It's normal that he was a little bit disappointed [by the response] because Harry and all our players have Twitter, Instagram and all those things and while Tottenham fans will have supported him, fans of other clubs will have killed him.
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"People have opinions, but that is normal. He was disappointed because he never wanted to create this. Sometimes it can seem a simple thing, and then it becomes big and you can't stop it. That is what happened here. I think he is going to learn a lot from this you know."