Tottenham Hotspur beat Sheffield United 4-0 on Sunday night, with Gareth Bale stealing the headlines by scoring a superb hat-trick.
Son Heung-min got himself on the scoresheet as Ryan Mason picked up a comfortable win, and fans must be happy with the style of play on offer.
Spurs were quick, incisive and energetic, showing many of the qualities that made them such a dangerous side under Mauricio Pochettino, and many of the qualities that were lacking under Jose Mourinho.
Mason also made the decision to start Dele Alli, with the 25-year-old starting a Premier League game for the just the third time this season.
Mourinho didn’t fancy Alli, but Mason gave him a chance to shine, and whilst he wasn’t quite at his best – which was to be expected – seeing him in that number 10 role again was great.
Alli will now hope to build up some momentum towards the end of the season, and prove that his long-term future does indeed lie with Tottenham.
Eric Dier has now admitted to Football.London that he thinks Alli played ‘really well’ against Sheffield United, before giving huge backing to the midfielder.
Dier offered an inside view by claiming that Alli has been working really hard and training brilliantly of late, highlighting a host of unnoticed qualities he brings to the Tottenham side.
Recovering the ball and making great runs off the ball, Alli has earned huge praise from Dier, and that should give him great confidence after what has been a very difficult season for him under Mourinho.
“I thought he played really well,” said Dier. “From the inside I can tell you he’s been working really hard and trained really well, and against Sheffield United he put that on the pitch.”
“Everyone knows his qualities, but I think he also has a lot of qualities which go unnoticed. The amount of second balls he wins, the amount he runs for the team and presses. He’s always attached to the game, it’s like he’s on a string to the ball. He is always attached to the game in every moment and that’s a great quality to have,” he added.
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