Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has admitted to Football London that he was scared Dele Alli was going to get sent off last night, so he substituted him off.
Alli was booked for a late challenge in the first-half of Tottenham’s game against Wolfsberger AC, as he looked to pinch the ball back.
The playmaker then had to be cautious for a lengthy period of time, to guard against being dismissed.
And with the referee seemingly handing out cards for very little, Mourinho decided that the time was right to take off Alli.
He said: “Dele’s case, he worked hard, he got a yellow card, when you have a yellow card, and with the referee showing so easily yellow cards to us, it was always a risk, but he managed to stay on the pitch, and was also a little bit of Tanguy because I thought that Tanguy would come fresh and unbalance things to our side again.
“So overall I’m happy with everyone, including the two players that you asked me.”
Alli put in arguably his best display of the season for Tottenham last night, as they cruised to success.
The England international may not have got on the score sheet, but he linked things together nicely – as Tottenham picked up a 4-1 win.
Alli may now have put himself into starting contention for the weekend, when Spurs take on West Ham United.
Totteham’s attack has looked short of their best in recent weeks, and they would surely benefit from having Alli back in their team on Sunday.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
