Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham have massive potential

Mauricio Pochettino insists Tottenham have massive potential for the future despite seeing his side's Premier League title chances ruined by a 2-2 draw at Chelsea.

Spurs, who needed victory at Stamford Bridge to stay in the title race, raced to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, but Chelsea hit back through Gary Cahill and substitute Eden Hazard to secure a draw and hand Leicester an historic title.

After the game, Pochettino, whose side has qualified for next season's Champions League, could not hide his disappointment but said he was proud of his players' efforts this season.

"First of all, congratulations to Leicester, to Claudio Ranieri, the players, the staff and of course the supporters," Pochettino told Sky Sports. "They had a great season and they deserve the title.

"It's true we are disappointed because we had the opportunity to play for the title but in the same way we have to be realistic and congratulate our players

"I think we have massive potential for the future and this is the first step. We need to be stronger next season and try to be in the race for the title."

Spurs now face a fight to secure a second-place finish with Arsenal just three points behind with two games remaining.

They host Southampton next Sunday before a trip to relegation-threatened Newcastle on the final day of the season, and Pochettino wants his side to remain focused.

"The season was fantastic and we'll still fight for second place," the Spurs boss added.

"The gap is three points to Arsenal and we need to keep this gap.

"We need to be ready for next Sunday."

In a feisty encounter, Tottenham had nine players booked, while Pochettino had to split up Danny Rose and Willian before Mousa Dembele appeared to eye gouge Diego Costa.

Much was made of Chelsea wanting to end Tottenham's title chances, but the Spurs boss thought Guus Hiddink's side's attitude showed a lot of respect for his side.

He said: "We fought to win the title and Chelsea fought to try and win the game, but it makes us very proud to see how Chelsea took this game.

"They showed big respect to us and this is the way we want to carry on next season. We wanted to show we are strong and it was a good lesson for us.

"We are the youngest squad in the Premier League and at the moment they are sad, but this is the feeling we need to feel for the future."