Chelsea chastened Spurs boss buoyant after humbling leader at home
Nothing like a little homepitch tenacity against the reigning juggernaut to spark speculation about a potential title run.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said his team showed the spirit needed to win the Premier League championship after Spurs ended leader Chelsea’s 13-game winning streak at White Hart Lane on Wednesday night.
Chelsea was aiming to become the first team to win 14 straight English top-flight matches in the same season, but Dele Alli’s headed double condemned it to a 2-0 loss.
Spurs climbed to third in the standings, and although they trail the Blues by seven points, Pochettino believes they are no longer the shaky team that lost out to Leicester City in last season’s title race.
“I think it was a little bit tough last season to explain why in the end we didn’t win the title or lift a trophy,” Pochettino said.
“In different games I think we missed being more competitive like it was today. For me, what it means to be competitive is like today. Work hard, but compete in this type of game.
“You need to play, to suffer, to fight. Sometimes you need to give possession to them because they push you and in that moment you need to work hard and be strong in your mind.
“We need to be pleased and proud because we understand what it means to be competitive when maybe you cannot play in the way you normally play.”
It was Spurs’ fifth consecutive victory and gave them a measure of revenge for a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge last May that ended their title hopes.
Asked if Spurs were back in the hunt, Pochettino said: “I think it was important for us to reduce the gap.
“Now the top four is very competitive. The gap still is important for Chelsea, but I think it was a perfect thing for us to arrive to third place and be close.
“That is important for us and it’s a lot of games to arrive before the end of the season. A lot can always happen in football.”
Pochettino’s decision to ape Chelsea’s 3-4-3 formation made for a cagey first half, but the Argentine’s team went ahead in stoppage time when England international Alli met Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen’s cross with a stunning header.
The pair combined again in the 54th minute in nearidentical fashion. Alli leapt at the back post to nod home Eriksen’s deep cross for his seventh in four matches.
“They were similar (goals), and fantastic,” said Pochettino. “Dele was clinical. In front of goal he was great.”
Chelsea’s defeat prevented it from surpassing Arsenal’s record of 13 wins in the same campaign — from 2001-02 — which the Gunners extended to14straightvictoriesthefollowing season.
Spurs’ north London rival Arsenal had been the most recent team to beat Chelsea, 3-0 in late September.
That sowed the seeds for the west Londoners’ extraordinary run, and had Eden Hazard not fluffed two good chances in either half it might have continued.