Tottenham had a good end to their Europa League group stage campaign as they handily beat Royal Antwerp. During the game, a couple of the players were seen making their way back to the dressing room early, which manager Jose Mourinho defended.
Goals from Carlos Vinicius and Giovani Lo Celso ensured that Spurs got the win, and finished top of their group. This now gets them a more favourable draw as they head into the Round of 32.
One notable incident that happened during the game was when Harry Winks and Dele Alli went down the tunnel before the end of the match. Winks started in the centre of midfield, but was substituted off in the 55th minute.
Alli, on the other hand, was on the bench and he too made his way down the tunnel well before the final whistle. But as far as Mourinho is concerned, there is nothing to worry about.
He made this clear after the game as he told Sky Sports.
“I told [Winks] to go,” he said. “I told every player that left the pitch to go, when the weather is cold, I prefer the players to go to the dressing room and have a shower and be warm and safe.
“I told every player that left the pitch to go, when the weather is cold.
“A player on the bench who realises with five changes he is not one of them, of course he is not a happy player and I wouldn’t expect him to be.”
Both the midfielders have not been featuring prominently in the squad this season, with Alli in particular not being given many chances.
Regardless of his recent workload, it doesn’t look good for a team when a player does something like this. It very nearly took away the sheen from an important game for the North Londoners.
But with the manager’s comments, it looks like we can put away this issue for now and the focus shifts back towards the Premier League.
Tottenham will want to continue their stay at the top of the Premier League table as they take on Crystal Palace in another London derby. Given how they have been playing, a win seems like a certainty.
Spurs are high on confidence and that should ensure that they get the three points on Sunday.