Tottenham: Pochettino hails display; Spurs are title contenders claims Conte

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Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino may well be the happiest man at White Hart Lane over Thursday morning, after he maintained his record of never having lost a home derby with the North Londoners. Wednesday night’s victims were Premier League leaders Chelsea, who were downed by two Dele Alli headed goals which propel Tottenham into third place, seven behind the Blues, and cut Chelsea’s lead at the top to five points.

Pochettino, whose side crumbled at the death last season when a first league title since 1961 was a possibility, has won eight and drawn four of his 12 derbies at White Hart Lane but this latest win over the Premier League’s seemingly runaway leaders was one of the most impressive. Chelsea had been on a 13 match winning streak, breaking a club record and establishing a joint record in a single Premier League season. One more win would have matched Arsenal’s all-time sequence of 14 which came over two campaigns, but Tottenham halted the Blues in their tracks.

“It is a massive victory, a very important three points to reduce the gap at the top of the table,” Pochettino said at the club’s post match press conference.

The Argentine was visibly more concerned with his team’s display and the face that they had been able to reduce the gap at the top, rather than ending Chelsea’s unbeaten run, but that doesn’t take anything from his praise of his side’s performance.

“The top four is very competitive. There are a lot of games to play but this result is very important for us. It was a very tough game, we were playing one of the best teams in Europe, so the value of the victory is massive.

“It makes us very proud and we showed character and were competitive. We showed in our performance we can be competitive and we can achieve big things but it is also true you have to do this regularly and show consistency during the whole season. It is one step forward for the team and it is important to keep going. Football is about belief.

“We have shown we can challenge for the big things. We are in a good position, Chelsea is in a very good position, but we are fighting to get points and to reduce the gap above us.”

Tottenham are now on their own run of five straight victories, hold the best defensive record in the Premier League, remain unbeaten at home and, in have one of the most in-form midfielders in England on the books in the shape of goalscorer, Dele Alli.

The 20-year-old has netted twice in each of Tottenham’s last three matches and now has seven goals in his last four league appearances.

“He is showing fantastic skills in front of the goal. He is a great player and one who has potential to improve. He was fantastic today again,” Pochettino said of the former Milton Keynes Dons man.

While Pochettino played down any talk of settling the score after Chelsea has scuppered Spurs’ title hopes coming back from 2-0 to draw 2-2 in May, and back in November overcame Tottenham’s 1-0 advantage to win 2-1, for Eric Dier and goalscorer Alli, the victory had been particularly satisfying.

“I think there is a bit of history between the sides now after last season and I think we wanted to stop their run like they did to ours”, Dier told Sky Sports in a post-match interview. “I think we made a big statement tonight, and hopefully that’ll give us the impetus to push on even further”. 

Match-winner Dele Alli was also visibly thrilled with the performance and result, but emphasised the importance that Pochettino’s men continue to remain well-grounded.

“It’s a big statement of course (beating Chelsea), but we are happy to stay under the radar and keep picking up the points. We are not going to get carried away, there is always room for improvement.”

Meanwhile, despite the significance of this result, Chelsea boss Antonio Conte was gracious in defeat and praised the performance of Mauricio Pochettino’s side, whom he declares are one of six sides who are contenders for the title this season.

“Tottenham are a really strong team and are, for sure, one of the teams that can fight for the title,” Conte claimed in the post-match press conference.

“We knew that defeat could happen before the game,” he said. “It is a pity to stop this run, but Tottenham fought last season and they can fight also this year.

“Don’t forget we lost to a good team. They are one of the six teams who can fight for the title.

“We must work hard and be pleased with our position in the table, but know this league is tough until the end.”

Featured Image: All Rights Reserved by Diego Gaona.