Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas has explained his axing of Brad Friedel for Hugo Lloris in yesterday's 2-0 win over Aston Villa.

The Frenchman rose to the occasion quite well, with his only hiccup coming in the second half when Villa intercepted a Lloris pass which almost led to Christian Benteke grabbing an opener for the visitors.

Villas-Boas denied that the selection meant Lloris will now be his first-choice stopper for the rest of the campaign.

"No," the Spurs boss replied when asked whether Lloris was now his number one.

"We spoke among the staff this week about it and we thought it was logical to let Hugo come into a Premier League game because he can't just play in the Europa League.

"Brad obviously was disappointed with the decision but accepted it like the good professional he is."

The Portuguese will consider recalling the former Liverpool and Villa man for Spurs' next game against Chelsea in two weeks' time.

"Obviously the change was not based on performance because Brad has been immense for this football team," the 34-year-old said.

"We respect that and we will surely look at that for the game against Chelsea.

"This was a chance to give Hugo a continuous run of games for Tottenham and the national team."