“How many times do their full-backs Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin normally reach the last third but they were controlled today”
JOSE MOURINHO hails the tactical switch that he claims gave Tottenham victory over arch-rivals Arsenal yesterday.
Jose Mourinho hailed Tottenham for successfully adapting to their tactical switch as they edged to a hard-fought 2-1 victory against arch-rivals Arsenal.
In his first north London derby since arriving at the club last November, the Portuguese manager saw his side come from behind to claim the three points which saw them leapfrog the Gunners in the Premier League table and into eighth.
Alexandre Lacazette fired Arsenal into a 16th-minute lead but their advantage lasted less than three minutes as Son Heung-min capitalised on a slack Sead Kolasinac pass to equalise.
The visitors dictated possession in the second half, with
Pierre-emerick Aubameyang rattling the crossbar before Toby Alderweireld won it for Spurs when he headed home Son’s inviting corner with nine minutes remaining.
Mourinho, who adopted a 4-4-2 formation, hailed how his side “controlled” Arsenal and also believes Tottenham can qualify for next season’s Europa League.
The Tottenham manager said: “I think the game was more tactical than anything.
“To be honest I think Mikel [Arteta] found a way for them to play, to be stable and to improve – they are improving and we felt that we should adapt slightly to them and I think we did it very well.
“Because how many times do their full-backs Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin normally reach the last third but they were controlled today. I think they were very controlled at that level.”
Mourinho added: “Even in the first period of the second half when they had more of the ball and they were more in our half, we were quite comfortable in that situation.
“We are happy because we made the fans happy, we are happy because we are still in the fight to win a Europa League position.”
Wolves kept their slender Champions League hopes alive with a crucial 3-0 win over limp Everton.
Raul Jimenez’s penalty, his 25th goal of the season, Leander Dendoncker’s header and Diogo Jota’s strike gave them a routine victory against the Toffees at Molineux.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side returned to sixth after Sheffield United had briefly overtaken them and they remain in the top-four hunt with three games left, including a finalday trip to Chelsea. For Everton, the season is reaching a sorry conclusion with the Toffees marooned in mid-table.
Trezeguet scored twice as
Aston Villa boosted their slim chances of staying in the Premier League following a 2-0 victory against Crystal Palace at Villa Park.
The Egypt international scored in each half to hand third-from-bottom Villa their first win in 11 league games and move them to within four points of safety with three games left.
But VAR again had a controversial input as Palace were denied a seventh-minute opening goal when it was decided an effort from Mamadou Sakho was handball, with Villa also having a penalty overturned later on.
Bournemouth boosted their hopes of beating the drop as they fought back to win 4-1 against ten-man Leicester, who saw Caglar Soyuncu sent off at Vitality Stadium.
A Junior Stanislas penalty and two Dominic Solanke strikes either side of a Jonny Evans own goal gave the Cherries the points after Jamie Vardy had put Leicester ahead.