José Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways on Monday evening with a 1-0 home victory over Everton in the Premier League.
The game provided a much-needed boost for Mourinho’s side after a recent 3-1 loss to Sheffield United, but the Portuguese appeared equally enthused about the fight shown by his players during a half-time confrontation after his recent plea for the players to hold each other to higher standards.
A first-half goal, scored via deflection from Giovani Lo Celso’s effort, was enough for Spurs to secure all three points, but the game was perhaps most notable for a clash between goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and forward Son Heung-Min at half time. The pair had to be separated by teammates after Lloris confronted his colleague, and after the game Mourinho admitted the incident pleased him.
"Important to grow up" - Mou
“That’s beautiful,” Mourinho said when asked about the subject. “It’s probably a consequence of our meetings. Probably if you want to blame somebody for that it’s me, because I was critical of my boys because in my opinion they are not critical enough of themselves and each other. I asked them to demand more each other and to put their colleagues under that pressure that you have to give everything.
“So it was a situation at the end of the first half where an amazing kid that everyone loves like Sonny – a team boy – in this situation the captain thought that he had to give a different effort. I think it’s something very important for the team to grow up because for a team to grow up you need to demand from each other and be strong personalities. I was really pleased so at half time I told them that after this reaction I had no doubts that in the second half they would stick together until the end.
“It tells me that they care, it tells me that they were really upset and frustrated and probably blaming each other for the last performance and the last result. I could be very protective of my team and my players by putting the blame on the referee (after the previous game) but behind my doors I was in another direction. I was focused on our performance and what we did. I was sure we would have a different attitude [tonight] and that little discussion at half time for me is a very positive thing.”
The win moves Spurs up to 8th in the Premier League and while a top four finish appears unlikely with a 9-point gap to Chelsea, Mourinho’s side are now just four points adrift of Nuno Espírito Santo’s Wolverhampton Wanderers in 6th which would see them into the Europa League.
By Sean Gillen
