An article in The Mail describes how Dele Alli was taken off in the 88th minute against Manchester United but it was what he did in the 85th that earned the England youngster a standing ovation.
He gave Alexis Sanchez a kicking and was rightly shown a yellow by referee Andre Marriner and the article says the Tottenham crowd, who had booed every touch of the ex-Arsenal man, loved it.
Of course that wasn’t all Dele did on Wednesday at Wembley Stadium. The article describes it as one of those games where Alli was in the mood, just like he was against Real Madrid in November, assisting Christian Eriksen’s opener after 11 seconds, and nutmegging Sanchez in the build-up to Phil Jones’ own goal and he should have been awarded a clear penalty after Antonio Valencia’s clumsy challenge. In all honesty if it not for Alli, the scoreline could have been very different.
These days however this has become a rarity from the Spurs starlet.He rose to the occasion and this was one of his finer performances overall.Pochettino will hope he turns up against Liverpool on Sunday too or our poor away record against Top 6 sides will drag on .
In comparison to his performance last year and this year Alli, who scored one of his five Premier League goals this season against tomorrow’s opponent, had 11 at the start of February last season.
It adds then how there have been signs of frustration this season, such as his lunges on Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne or Burnley’s Charlie Taylor, both of which saw him escape red and of course there have been diving issues too – and that reputation may not have helped when Valencia wiped him out on Wednesday.
If Spurs are to secure a Champions League spot, then they need their young gun to start firing again. Harry Kane is playing his part, so too is Son Heung-min, and Christian Eriksen makes Tottenham tick.
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Glenn Hoddle however isn’t too concerned about Alli’s fluctuating form, he said:”He’s had a slightly indifferent season but he’s still affected the game,’He will affect the game as he’s a box threat and he likes to score goals.
Hoddle added: “He’s done that time and time again over the last few seasons and we forget how young he is. It’s great seeing two young English players (him and Lingard) playing well in that position.’
The article concludes by saying It is now more than two years since Alli scored that volley against Crystal Palace at the age of 19. Now 21, he cannot rely on only offering moments of magic every so often. Consistency is needed, for Tottenham and England.
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