Walker on Sterling push: I did what I had to do

Joe Williams

Kyle Walker insists he had to try something in an attempt to “put off” Raheem Sterling in Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday.

Dele Alli and Son Heung-min cancelled out strikes from Leroy Sane and Kevin de Bruyne as neither side could force a winner.

At 2-1 to City, and seconds before Spurs’ equaliser, Walker appeared to push Sterling in the area when the winger was through on goal but the referee didn’t award a penalty for the incident.

And Walker admitted he did whatever was necessary to stop the England international from scoring.

“I was never going to get there so just had to do anything I could to stop him,” Walker told BT Sport after the match.

“I wasn’t going to get [the ball] otherwise. You have to put him off as much as possible.

Walker was pleased with how Tottenham recovered from going behind and insists Mauricio Pochettino’s side aren’t “worried about others” in the Premier League title race.

“I think we can adapt our style to all situations. It shows the character in the team and the trust the gaffer puts in us to switch it up,” Walker continued.

“We’re taking every game as it comes. We’re not worried about others, we’ll do our job and see where it leaves us.”