Jose Mourinho made clear Dele Alli deserved to start for Tottenham against Fulham after putting in the hard work in recent weeks – and was pleased with what he delivered in the 1-0 win.
Alli was named in Spurs' XI in the Premier League for just the second time this season, the midfielder playing 67 minutes before making way for Moussa Sissoko.
The England international created two chances and also had a shot himself during his time on the pitch, continuing an upward trend for a player whose future at the club has appeared uncertain for so much of the campaign.
Mourinho made clear a place in the team was a well-deserved reward for Alli, rather than a "gift", as he looks to rotate amid a hectic schedule.
"He deserves it. It was not a gift, [it] was a consequence of his work since he came back to the team. [Through] Work and working with the team 100 per cent and becoming fully fit and ready to play," the Tottenham boss told the media.
"He was giving us important things. He did very well in the Europa League. He did very well every minute on the pitch against West Ham, against Burnley, he was deserving.
"In this moment we need the squad, with so many matches coming so fast. Of course we need it. We cannot change the structure of the team. We can change two or three players, which today we did with Dele, Ben [Davies] and Matt [Doherty].
"I'm happy with what they gave to the team. For Dele, it was important to have a feeling of a Premier League start."
Alli was involved in the winner too, albeit his failure to connect properly resulted in an own goal by Tosin Adarabioyo that settled a close contest in Tottenham's favour.
Fulham had just under 60 per cent possession and pushed hard for an equaliser, but the visitors held on at Craven Cottage for a win that further boosts their hopes of a top-four finish.
"I believe that we really showed from the first minute that we were coming for that [the win]," Mourinho said of the performance.
"The first half was a good half for us, the second half was harder. They put some pressure on us, but I believe that when we made the changes, we brought a new energy and dynamic to the team. We brought the danger to the other side.
"Even being a solid block to defend we were the team with the best chances to score in the last ten minutes."
Spurs have now won back-to-back Premier League games for the first time since November, with Crystal Palace up next on Sunday.
Xisco Munoz vows to fight ‘until my last second’ at Sheffield Wednesday
Xisco Munoz apologised to Sheffield Wednesday’s supporters and said he would give it “until my last second” after a 1-0 defeat at West Brom left the Sky Bet Championship’s bottom team with the worst start in their history.
John Swift’s 13th-minute goal left the Owls with an eighth loss from the first 10 games of the Sky Bet Championship season, and they are already seven points adrift of the safety line.
Manager Munoz, 43, who led Watford to the Premier League in 2020-21, has taken just two points all season and none have come outside Yorkshire. Wednesday are also without a goal in 312 minutes of football.
“I understand the fans and I can only say sorry because it’s tough for everybody,” said the Spaniard.
“But as a manager, I can say we will continue until my last second.
“This is my life and I try to give my best to my players until my last minute.”
Munoz suggested he is running out of options after trying different permutations.
“We tried to change the formation and the players – I have used 24 or 25 players this season,” he added.
“We can play 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 5-3-2 but right now, we’re not finding the solutions.”
Munoz insisted he will keep persevering trying to find a winning formula.
“We need to continue trying to find what is better for us, we need to find which players we can use for the next game, what can hurt the opponent and how we can make better of these situations,” added the Spaniard.
“We played against a difficult style and a good team but the difference was nothing.”
West Brom made it five games unbeaten, during which they have kept four clean sheets and climbed to fifth.
Swift lashed home the only goal from six yards after Darnell Furlong played the ball down the right, Akin Famewo missed the chance to cut it out and Jed Wallace crossed low.
But just after the goal, Wednesday’s Juan Delgado missed Ashley Fletcher’s cross from point-blank range, then Tyreeq Bakinson’s curling shot was clawed away by goalkeeper Alex Palmer.
West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan saluted match-winner Swift, who scored his fifth goal of the season.
“When a player of his quality is mentally ready to compete he can be the difference,” he said.
Corberan admitted Albion found it hard going to find more goals.
“You change the feeling and change the game when you score from the opportunities you have,” he said.
“It was difficult to combat them from the set-pieces because they had a very physical team and when we won the second balls in the set-pieces, we couldn’t score the second goal to change the game.
“After one second ball and one set-piece, it led to two big opportunities that led Alex (Palmer) to achieve the clean sheet and the three points.”
Erik ten Hag vows to fight on ‘together’ with Manchester United
Under-pressure Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is not worried about losing his job after his side’s horror start to the season continued with a Champions League home defeat to Galatasaray.
The Red Devils threw away a 2-1 lead to fall to a 3-2 loss at a rain-soaked Old Trafford and suffer their worst start to a season since 1986.
They have lost six of their opening 10 games for the first time in 37 years and their chances of getting out of the group stages already look in doubt after just two matches.
But Ten Hag, who says there are “no excuses” for his side’s dismal performances, insist everyone at the club is pulling in the same direction.
Asked whether he feared for his job, the Dutchman said: “Last season: brilliant, terrific, more than we could expect.
“We also knew in this project there would be common gaps. At this moment we are in a very difficult period as everyone can see but we come out together, we are fighting together, we are sticking together and we are behind each other. That is me, the directors, the team, all together we will fight.
“This is not us, we know we have to do better, with togetherness we will come out.
“If I give an explanation, then you will see as excuses, there are no excuses. We can’t make the errors we are now making. We have to do better, it is a simple fact, we have to win our games.”
United had victory in their own hands after two Rasmus Hojlund goals, either side of former United winger Wilfried Zaha’s leveller, put them on course for a much-needed win.
But Kerem Akturkoglu again pegged them back and then a woeful error by Andre Onana set them on a path to self-destruction as his abysmal pass led to Casemiro fouling Dries Mertens in the penalty area and the Brazilian was sent off.
Mauro Icardi missed the resulting penalty, but made amends three minutes later as he grabbed the winner and sealed a first ever victory on English soil for the Turkish side.
Onana also made a costly gaffe in the Group A opener at Bayern Munich a fortnight ago but Ten Hag, who managed him at Ajax, has backed the Cameroonian to come good.
“We are happy with our goalkeeping group, definitely with Andre,” Ten Hag said. “He was in one semi-final of the Champions League, last year he was in the final of the Champions League, he has the capablilties to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
“He has shown that and he will do. We already have seen in games his great capabilites, also his personality after he made mistakes. He will bounce back and I am sure he will in the coming games as well.”
Galatasaray were good value for their victory and are now a good bet to progress to the knockout stages, having taken four points from their opening two games.
“In the second half I believe we played better, we had more chances,” coach Okan Buruk said. “At the end of the day we are happy, we won against this team, a very important team.
“This victory is very important for Turkish football, for us and for our standing in the group.”
John Mousinho says Portsmouth ‘thoroughly deserved’ late win over Wycombe
Portsmouth manager John Mousinho was thrilled after Conor Shaughnessy’s late heroics handed his table-toppers a 2-1 victory over Wycombe.
Centre-back Shaughnessy bagged his first Pompey goal in the 98th minute when he connected with Jack Sparkes’ corner to send Fratton Park wild.
Pompey had gone behind to Wycombe captain Josh Scowen’s near post-flick from Luke Leahy’s in-swinging corner in the 22nd minute but responded after 58 minutes when Abu Kamara’s low cross was stabbed in by Colby Bishop, who netted his sixth goal of the season.
Mousinho said: “It feels amazing to be honest. To have the reaction to scoring the goal in front of the Fratton End; the whole stadium went up.
“I thought we thoroughly deserved the win. We obviously left it very late, and I only allowed myself a few seconds to celebrate because I knew I had to get Sean Raggett on straight away”
“I thought our chance had gone when Colby missed a chance at the far post.
“My emotions wouldn’t have been quite as happy if we hadn’t scored that late goal but I would have been as happy with the performance and how we went about things. Overall I’m pleased with tonight.
“We stood up to the physical test really well. Wycombe are really good at what they do. They have a Premier League centre forward and have plenty of Championship calibre behind it.
“We went a goal behind and it is difficult from there. Wycombe sat in and made it difficult. We stuck at it under difficult circumstances and were absolutely superb.”
Pompey recorded their 22nd game unbeaten in Sky Bet League One to stay top.
Wycombe boss Matt Bloomfield complained Shaughessy’s winner had come after a foul on his goalkeeper Max Stryjek.
He said: “I am very angry and frustrated, and also sorry for the supporters who made the journey on a Tuesday night.
“It was a blatant foul on the goalkeeper for their second. Their player jumps into him and prevents him from catching the ball and flattens him.
“I was very proud of the lads tonight and thought we carried a threat even in the second half. We deserved something from the game.
“Decisions against us are becoming a regular occurrence.
“It is so disappointing that the lads work extremely hard and decisions like that cost us getting something out of the game. That’s the second game in a row we have been hard done by.
“We were really looking forward to this game, so disappointed to come away with nothing.
“We obviously have to pick ourselves up from this. We go to Fleetwood on Saturday, and we need to start getting points.”
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