Thursday 20 December 2018 22:30, UK
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has described Dele Alli as "a beast" who is doing "fantastic things" for the club.
The 22-year-old midfielder scored a memorable goal as Spurs beat Arsenal 2-0 in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup to set up a semi-final with Chelsea.
Alli has played a key role throughout the season for Spurs, who are third in the Premier League and in the last 16 of the Champions League.
"He is an animal, very competitive, he's a beast," Pochettino said of the England international. "So competitive, he's a street boy playing football. He's a very talented player.
"All that he is doing is a fantastic thing. He has unbelievable quality to finish how he does. If you don't have the quality it is difficult to finish like that."
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Pochettino is refusing to get carried away even though Spurs are just six points off the top of the table ahead of the weekend fixtures.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's trip to Everton, live on Sky Sports, Pochettino admitted the feel-good factor could disappear very quickly if results do not continue to go their way.
"At the moment we are playing well, but the moment we lose games it's going to turn quick. I know that very well. This is normal.
"I try to understand everything. In this football club if some bad results arrive it's going to turn again. All the positives will be reversed and become negatives.
"We are happy, but not so happy. I think there's still massive work to do. But when I say 'worst feeling' I don't speak about inside of the club. I talk about the perception outside.
"We are still fragile, not solid enough as a club to support some good and some bad because the perception of the people can affect the club.
"I think we are changing a lot and we are going to change, if we have time, to do that. But our self-belief is still so fragile."
