Highlights:
- Tottenham boss praises Dele Alli after his side win against Fulham
- Jose Mourinho denies his side win as a gift despite the only goal in the game was an own goal from Fulham
- Mourinho said, “I think we clearly showed from the first minute that we wanted that,”
The Tottenham Hotspurs’ boss Jose Mourinho insisted that the inclusion of the English international against Fulham was not a gift.
Jose Mourinho has praised the 24 year old Englishman, Dele Alli, for working his way back into his Tottenham line-up, insisting he “deserved to start” their latest Premier League match against Fulham on Thursday.
Alli was handed his first top-flight start in close to six months against Fulham, and marked the occasion by playing a key role in the winning goal.
Mourinho was pleased with the Englishman’s performance in the match and said that he earned his place in the team with his recent performances in the Europa League as well as showing his hard work on the training ground.
In the post-match press conference, Jose Mourinho said, “He deserved to start. It was not a gift. It was a consequence of his work since he came back and working 100 per cent”.
“He was giving us important things. Did very well in the Europa League and very well in every minute he had.
“He was deserving. We need the squad we have”, said the Portuguese coach
Spurs were able to pick up from where they had left off after their win against Burnley by 4 to 0 on the 28th of February, as they went up by a goal against Fulham in the 19th minute of the match at the Craven Cottage.
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Initially, Alli claimed the glory after flicking a Son Heung-min cross towards the net, but it took a heavy deflection off Tosin Adarabioyo on its way in and ultimately went down as an own goal.
However, Tottenham had chances to add to their lead thereafter, with both Son and Harry Kane being guilty of wasteful finishing, however, Mourinho’s side still managed to hold on for a crucial 1-0 victory.
The 58 year old Spur boss added on the importance of the results for his side as they continue to chase the top 4 finish, saying, “Important win. We need points and of course three better than one.
“I think we clearly showed from the first minute that we wanted that. First half was good but the second half was harder.
“When we made the changes we added fresh energy and we had the best chances in the last 10-15 minutes.”
Mourinho said that Dele Alli will be back in contention for a place in his starting XI as Spurs play host to Crystal Palace on Monday at 12:45 AM (IST).
“The north London outfit are due back in Europa League action four days later, with a first leg round of 16 clash against Dinamo Zagreb on the cards”, said Goal.com
