SPURS need to buy another striker, admitted boss Mauricio Pochettino after he watched his team pegged back to a disappointing draw at home to Stoke City this afternoon (Saturday).

Speaking after watching Stoke strike twice late on – after he had taken off last season's star man Harry Kane – Pochettino said: “We need to add a player or two to the squad. We need another centre forward. At 2-0 with 70 minutes gone, I thought it was enough for Kane. I did not want to take a risk with him.”

A Stoke fan revels in his team's comeback at the Lane

Pochettino unveiled new forward Clinton N'Jie before kick off, but admitted he is not a traditional target man and that he is still in the hunt for a major signing.

He added his talismanic striker Kane was not 100 per cent fit after missing some pre-season training after appearing at the European Championships with England's under-21 side.

Without Kane, Spurs looked blunt up front. They lacked an outlet to take pressure off and it allowed Stoke to fight back.

The match had started well for Spurs. Pochettino shuffled his pack, playing defender Eric Dier as a midfielder and dropping Nabil Bentaleb to the bench. Dier looked assured, winning tackles and passing neatly.

Tottenham ponder what went wrong when three points had seemed assured

On 18 minutes, he opened the scoring with a deft near post header from a Christian Eriksen corner.

Spurs were well in control. Hugo Lloris's goal was threatened twice through Mame Biram Diouf but both were isloated incidents. On the stroke of half time, Spurs doubled their lead. A clever through ball by Kane found Ben Davies. He pulled the ball back and Nacer Chadli was on hand to volley home.

Spurs were coasting and Pochettino decided on 70 minutes it was safe to give Kane a breather – but with his removal, what looked like a certain home win went disastrously wrong. With 13 minutes left on the clock, centre back Toby Alderweireld conceded a penalty which was converted by Marko Arnautovic. Soon after, a cross was nudged over the line by the head of Diouf to even things up.

It took the shine of a performance that had looked more than enough for long periods to earn Spurs their first three points of the season. As Pochettino admitted, it underlined his need for another forward to take the weight off Kane.

SPURS: Lloris, Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies, Mason (Bentaleb, 68), Dier, Dembele, Eriksen, Chadli, Kane (Lamela, 63).

Subs: Vorm, Rose, Bentaleb, Lamela, Trippier, Alli, Carroll.

Spurs Comment
By DAN CARRIER

Five thoughts from today

Defender Eric Dier's performance in the central midfield position showed what a good footballer he is. He was solid off the ball, and positive in possession.

As Pochettino made clear, he desperately needs another forward. When Nacer Chadli went up front, the Belgian didn't fight for headers. He preferred to cross his fingers the Stoke defence would misjudge long balls.

Spurs and Stoke players disagree

Roberto Soldado has gone back to La Liga after two abysmal seasons in a Tottenham shirt

With no Roberto Soldado to call on, and Emmanuel Adebayor picking up £100,000 for training alone, chairman Daniel Levy needs to strike a deal – and fast.

But for the costly slip that led to the penalty, Toby Alderweireld was assured. He and Jan Vertonghen's understanding was impressive.

Mousa Dembele has been linked with a move and has gone public with how hard he found last term. But he got 90 minutes today and played very well.