Thursday 5 January 2017 11:53, UK
Mauricio Pochettino believes Tottenham now know what it means to be competitive against the best teams in Europe after beating Chelsea.
Dele Alli scored twice as Spurs ended the Blues 13-match winning run on Wednesday and thrust themselves back into both the top four and the title race.
It was Chelsea who ended Tottenham's pursuit of the Premier League trophy last May and Spurs endured a difficult first Champions League campaign under the Argentinian this season, knocked out from the group stage.
But Pochettino said: "I think we started what it means to be competitive. Maybe that was the problem last season - that we missed how to compete in a better way.
But this is what it means to be competitive; work hard and compete against a very good team like Chelsea - one of the best in Europe today.
"You have to play, sometimes suffer, you need to fight, sometimes give the possession to them, because they push you. Then you need to work hard and be strong in your mind.
"We were very competitive. There was plenty of confidence and it was a very solid performance, and I am very proud of the players."
Spurs have sealed five straight wins and are just two points behind second-place Liverpool, whom they play in Febuary after clashes with West Brom, Man City, Sunderland and Middlesborough.
Pochettino said: "It was important for us to reduce the gap. The top four is very close. The gap is still important for Chelsea but it was the perfect thing for us to arrive in third place, and be close.
"Our performance showed we can be competitive and win big things. But it is true that it is only one game. We need to be consistent during the whole season.
"We are happy but it's only three points and there is still more to do. Our challenge is to keep this intensity. There are a lot of games until the end of the season and all can happen in football."
