Who to blame for Spurs' loss?

December 05, 2019 10:15 IST

Spurs' attitude to blame for Manchester United defeat, says Alli

Dele Alli

IMAGE: Tottenham Hotspur's Dele Alli looks dejected after the match. Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli says it may have been a combination of 'arrogance and over-confidence' that caused his side’s 2-1 defeat by Manchester United in the Premier League on Wednesday.

Spurs came into the game on a three-match winning streak under new manager Jose Mourinho but failed to build on that momentum at Old Trafford.

Marcus Rashford put United ahead but a piece of technical brilliance from Alli brought Spurs level, only for a 49th-minute Rashford penalty to secure the three points for the hosts.

“We had to match their energy. We lost the game not by them outplaying us - just attitude,” Alli told reporters. “We weren’t hungry enough and we were slow to every second ball, losing 50-50s."

“Maybe it was a little bit of arrogance and over-confidence. We’ve been playing well."

“We have to learn from this. Games like this bring your feet back down.”

The result saw Spurs slip to eighth in the table.

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