Alli scored twice as Tottenham Hotspur ended Chelsea’s winning run on Wednesday.
Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Garth Crooks believes Dele Alli’s performance against Chelsea was the birth of a special player.
Alli continued his excellent goalscoring run over the festive period, scoring both goals as Spurs sank the Blues at White Hart Lane.
Tottenham’s Dele Alli opens the scoring
Mauricio Pochettino’s side climbed above Arsenal and Manchester City to third after Wednesday’s win, which was the first time Chelsea had dropped points since September.
Alli impressed in his first full season at Tottenham, but has suffered something of a hangover in the early stages of the current campaign.
Crooks admits to questioning the 20-year-old’s capability in that time, but says Wednesday’s display has caused him to change his mind.
“What a performance by Dele Alli,” the 58-year-old writes in his Team of the Week column for BBC Sport. “It has been some time since I’ve seen a Tottenham midfield player show so much composure in front of goal.
“I have always maintained that I’ve only seen Alli perform in games of lesser importance rather than the really big matches.
“However they don’t get much bigger than Spurs against Chelsea when the Blues are going for a record number of victories and to cement their lead at the top of the table.
“This was not only a great performance by Spurs but, for me, the birth of a special player.”
Tottenham’s Dele Alli applauds the fans
Alli has now scored as many Premier League goals in 19 matches this season (10) as he did in 33 last term, and it is little surprise that several of Europe’s top sides have been linked with the England international’s services in recent weeks.
Spurs, though, are only seven points behind Chelsea, and their recent improvement should convince him to remain in north London for the foreseeable future.
How good was Alli’s latest Tottenham display?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
