Sunday 1 April 2018 19:33, UK
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.
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.
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.
"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."
