Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has told Football.London that he ‘needed a sacrifice’ from Moussa Sissoko and Lucas Moura against Arsenal.
Mourinho needed a strong performance after a disappointing 0-0 draw against Bournemouth, and a North London derby win was a great way to get fans back on side.
It didn’t start so well as Alexandre Lacazette thundered Arsenal into the lead with a stunning long-range finish, but Spurs hit back.
Son Heung-min pounced on an error from Sead Kolasinac and David Luiz to bring Spurs level, dinking a lovely finish over Emiliano Martinez.
Arsenal dominated the ball but ended up losing, as Toby Alderweireld headed home Son’s corner to give Tottenham all three points late in the day.
It wasn’t vintage Spurs, but they battled, dug in and got the win, and Mourinho had two rather unsung heroes to thank.
Mourinho went with a 4-4-2, deploying Sissoko and Moura on the flanks in order to combat the width offered by Arsenal wing backs Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney.
Both players did a great job for the team, with Moura racking up a staggering eight tackles and Sissoko working tirelessly off the ball.
After the game, Mourinho noted that he ‘needed a sacrifice’ from both players, and he is surely delighted with how they performed as they limited Tierney and Bellerin’s attacking output.
“They play with Bellerin and Tierney really wide and high, then they bring Aubameyang and Pepe or Saka to the inside,” said Mourinho. “I wanted my back four to be focused on closing the central areas and jumping only to the wing-backs in special occasions. For that I needed a sacrifice from Sissoko and Lucas,” he added.
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