Arrogance proved costly, admits Alli

DELE Alli has admitted he and his Tottenham side were punished for being ‘arrogant and over-confident’ ahead of the clash against United at Old Trafford.

Spurs had won three out of three in all competitions since Jose Mourinho took over as a manager while United went into the game on the back of two disappointing league defeats.

And Alli, who scored an impressive equaliser for Tottenham in the first half, admitted they underestimated United’s threat.

“With the old manager coming back they were always going to be up for it that little bit more,” the England international said on Amazon Prime.

“We lost not on them outplaying us but on our attitude – we weren’t hungry enough. It was maybe a little bit of arrogance and over-confidence.

“In games like this you have to have a bit of arrogance – but we were sloppy.

“It’s always nice to get a goal but you can’t see any positives when you lose a game. We wanted to win not just for him but for the fans.”

And Mourinho’s comments after the game suggested the Spurs players ignored his warning about how United would up their game for his return.

“I tried to fight that state of mind, I tried to tell them exactly the way United approach these matches at home - the strong starts, running, pressing, the morale of the supporters,” Mourinho said.

“When United face the big teams, people think it will be more difficult, as the responsibility changes, but they feel more comfortable.”