Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has defended Hugo Lloris after his Champions League dismissal midweek.

Lloris' decision to rush off his line lead to a goal in the second minute of the 4-2 home loss to Barcelona earlier this month.

While on Wednesday the World Cup winner was sent off for a rash challenge outside his box in the 2-2 draw at PSV Eindhoven.

Yet his boss Poch said: “Hugo is one of the best keepers in the world and he was man of the match (in the win at West Ham) a few days before we played against PSV.

“Against PSV I think he's not guilty about the result.

"For me it wasn't a sending-off, it was only a yellow card, but in the end we drew the game and it put us in a very difficult situation to quality for the next stage of the Champions League.

“But Hugo is an important player for us, he's our captain and there's no doubt about him."

Asked if it was his opinion that Lloris is world class, the Spurs chief replied: “It is not in my opinion, it's the reality. I'm so objective – he's one of the best, for sure.

“We have short memories and against West Ham I think the victory, in a big percentage, was because of Hugo because he was unbelievable. The performance was brilliant."