Friday 28 April 2017 09:23, UK
We examine why Tottenham's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace was a perfect response to recent questions over their mentality.
In the build-up to Tottenham's meeting with Crystal Palace, Mauricio Pochettino was asked if their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea showed his side lack the mentality to turn their progress into trophies. "You should remove that idea because it's not true," came his response. "They are winners. Another thing is to win titles, but they are winners."
It was a defiant response from the head coach, and on Wednesday night at Selhurst Park, his players provided their own answers on the pitch. Almost a year to the day since the 1-1 draw with West Brom that sparked last season's late collapse, Spurs kept their title challenge alive with a gritty victory in difficult circumstances.
The trip to south London was a formidable test. Palace were buoyant having added Liverpool to their list of big scalps on Sunday, and Chelsea had ramped up the pressure on Spurs with their 4-2 thrashing of Southampton on Tuesday night. With seven points to make up on the leaders, Pochettino and his players knew that winning was the only option.
They were sternly tested in the first half as Palace went straight on the attack. Christian Benteke's physicality caused problems through the middle, with Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha driving them back on the flanks. Spurs were unusually disjointed going forward, and Pochettino jogged down the tunnel at half-time knowing he had work to do.
A change of shape and the introductions of Heung-Min Son and Moussa Sissoko tipped the contest in Tottenham's favour. Dele Alli and Harry Kane were denied as Spurs piled on the pressure, but their persistence paid off with Christian Eriksen's brilliant breakthrough. At the other end, they limited Palace to just one shot on goal in the whole of the second half.
Pochettino marched onto the pitch to congratulate his players one by one at the final whistle. Chelsea remain four points clear with only five games of the campaign to play, but after their recent criticism, the celebrations showed how much it meant to Spurs to keep their dream alive.
"It's what you would probably call a performance of champions," said Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp. "All the questions before the game were can they handle the pressure after last year when they slipped up? They showed they have got that mentality. It was a big result for them, especially after Saturday when they lost in the cup.
"You thought they might be feeling sorry for themselves but they weren't. They showed a lot of character. Although they weren't at their best, I thought they were exceptional today in terms of mentality and strength. It was everything that you would want from a team that's trying to win the championship."
With 74 points, Tottenham have already achieved their highest ever total in the Premier League. The win also gave them eight consecutive league victories for the first time since 1960. It highlights their progress under Pochettino, and as Niall Quinn pointed out, it was not the first time in recent weeks they have shown steel to complement their quality.
"Cast your mind back to Swansea away, when it looked dead and buried for them and they dug it out," said Quinn, referencing their late 3-1 win at the Liberty Stadium earlier this month. "Tonight was another tough one for them. The dressing room was perhaps a little bit subdued after what happened to them at the weekend, but now it's a distant memory."
Chelsea are still in the Premier League driving seat and they may prove impossible to stop, but Tottenham produced a perfect response to the recent criticism. Spurs are still in the hunt, and there is plenty of evidence to suggest Pochettino might have had a point about his players.
