Former Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes was full of praise for the White Hart Lane faithful on his first return to the club.
Gomes managed to keep the score to a respectable 1-0 as his Watford side were dominated by Spurs on Saturday.
The Hornets failed to register a single shot on target and Gomes admitted it was a tough afternoon for his side.
“It was difficult. I believe that in the first-half we didn’t really play our football,” Gomes told Watford’s official club website.
“Tottenham made it a very difficult day for us but we knew from the beginning that we were going to play against a tough opponent, and they showed today why they are second in the table.
“They made it difficult for us, we did great to hold them for a long time and at the end we tried to score our goal, but it was too late.”
Spurs created several good chances in the opening hour but continued to be thwarted until the introduction of Dele Alli off the bench instigated a breakthrough.
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Three minutes after coming on as a substitute, it was Alli’s cross that laid on Trippier to score and Gomes admits the 19-year-old midfielder made the difference.
“He made the difference when he came on. He passed the ball for them to score the goal, and it was very tough for us,” said Gomes.
“It’s not easy to come here, especially when you’re having to defend for large parts of the game, but we showed character.”
Gomes spent six years at Tottenham after moving to London from PSV Eindhoven in 2008 and he played 136 times for the club.
The Brazilian remains a popular figure among the Spurs faithful and was given a warm reception on his return.
“It was very special,” Gomes said. “I’ve played here before against them but I’ve never played here since I left the club. It was a great reception and I really want to thank them for it.”
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