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Mauricio Pochettino hails Dele Alli reaction after England snub

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Mauricio Pochettino was proud of his players' performance as Spurs ended their Stamford Bridge hoodoo by beating Chelsea 3-1

Dele Alli's double at Chelsea took a positive step to winning the "trust and confidence" of England boss Gareth Southgate, says Mauricio Pochettino.

Tottenham ended their 28-year Stamford Bridge hoodoo as Alli struck twice in a 3-1 win to severely dent Chelsea's top-four hopes on Super Sunday.

Despite being just 21-years-old, Alli was making his 100th Premier League appearance at Stamford Bridge but his form this season has come under scrutiny.

Alli only played 22 minutes for England during the international break in their two friendlies with the Netherlands and Italy as Southgate preferred to play Raheem Sterling in the position behind the striker.

Tottenham Hotspur's English midfielder Dele Alli controls the ball in the build up to scoring their second goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge in London on April 1, 2018. Tottenham won the game 3-1.
Image: Dele Alli's two goals fired Tottenham to their first Premier League win at Stamford Bridge

When asked if being dropped by England affected him, Pochettino said: "Dele would not have been affected. He is so strong. We need to tell him that if he wants to compete with the national team and try to win the trust and confidence of the manager then he needs to do the things he did today.

"Younger players sometimes need to breathe, there's a lot of pressure to shoulder, he had nothing to show to me, or Tottenham, it's more about the expectation which is sometimes so high. I'm very happy for him because he played very well."

Christian Eriksen's stunning long-range strike cancelled out Alvaro Morata's headed opener, and Tottenham now boast an eight-point advantage over Chelsea with just seven matches to play.

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Alli fires in the first of his two goals at Stamford Bridge
Image: Alli's first was a sublime take and finish from Eric Dier's pass

Hugo Lloris, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele were the only members of Spurs' starting line-up to have been born the last time the north Londoners had won at Stamford Bridge.

But Pochettino's men broke that losing streak in some style and the Argentine revealed he made a tactical alteration at half-time, moving Eriksen into a deeper role.

He added: "We tried to change and switch some players to link better between us, and after that game it looks like a good decision, but it was the attitude of the players that deserves praise.

Dele Alli scores Tottenham's second against Chelsea
Image: Alli struck twice as Spurs ended their long wait for a win at Chelsea

"We showed great character after we fell behind so it's a great day for the fans."

Pochettino believes the result could prove a milestone in his bid to convert Tottenham's huge potential into silverware, concluding: "That type of game will help us achieve what we want.

"After nearly four years, a lot has happened at the club and I'm happy with how we are evolving.

"I remember four years ago when I arrived at Tottenham our challenge was to bridge the top four and now we're competing with the top sides.

"We're achieving many great things with our philosophy and we're proud with how we're playing."

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