The midfielder thinks he should have put the win beyond doubt before Boro’s late goal set up a nervous finish.
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli has told the club’s official website that he feels as though he should be blamed for his side failing to put the game against Middlesbrough beyond doubt because of his missed chance.
Spurs took an early two-goal lead against the promoted side at the Riverside thanks to Son Heung-min’s fine brace in the first quarter of the game.
Alli missed an excellent chance to extend the lead to three and almost certainly kill off the game just before half-time when he just couldn’t finish from close range from Christian Eriksen’s cross.
Boro improved after the break and pulled a goal back late on through Ben Gibson to make it a far more nervous finish for Spurs than it needed to be.
Alli is clearly frustrated by his inability to put his side further ahead and admitted that he feels he should take some blame for Spurs’ struggle to put the game to bed.
The England star told the club’s website: “We were really comfortable from kick-off. We dominated the game, and I put a lot of the blame down to myself because I should have finished that chance at the end of the second half, it was an easy chance.
“We made it difficult for ourselves by not seeing the game out earlier but three points away from home is always a good result.”
Luckily for Alli his miss did not come back to bite him, and Spurs extended their unbeaten start to the Premier League season to six games with a fourth victory.
Spurs’ attentions now turn to their long journey to Moscow for their second Champions League group game against CSKA, having lost their opening fixture 2-1 at home to AS Monaco.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
