Mauricio Pochettino urges his players to take their chances in front of goal

Mauricio Pochettino has urged his side to start taking their chances in front of goal after the Argentine was left disappointed by Tottenham Hotspur's 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Aston Villa.

Tim Sherwood made his managerial return to White Hart Lane for the first time today and took away maximum points thanks to a first-half Christian Benteke header. Spurs struggled to find the equaliser, failing to create any clear-cut chances throughout the 90 minutes.

"We had chances, possession of the ball, managed the game but the first chance they had, they scored," Pochettino told BBC Sport.

"Then it was difficult for us. I'm disappointed with the result, disappointed for the players, it was not a good game. We need to increase our performance if we want to take the points, we need to be more clinical in offensive situations.

"I think maybe we deserved more in this game but the feeling wasn't good today and we need to improve."

The result leaves Pochettino's side seven points adrift of fourth-place Manchester City, while the three points for Villa moves them six points clear of the relegation zone.