Mauricio Pochettino, of course, was not going to touch that suggestion with a 50-foot bargepole. “It’s better not to speak too much,” he said as his side ascended to second place in the Premier League. “Work hard. This is the better way to speak. After, we will see what happens.” Pochettino may see the title as the elephant in the room, but the rest of us can have no such compunction. If Leicester are now front-runners, Tottenham are fast emerging as their sternest competition. They have the defence and the depth, the midfield and the momentum, the forwards and the form. If they do not yet believe, they should. The chase is on.
And this was a big test of resolve for them, even if the statistics suggested a certain dominance. They had 26 shots to three, 67 per cent possession, and yet make no mistake: this was a nail-biter. Watford defended superbly, but after casing the joint for an hour Tottenham finally broke in. Kieran Trippier’s first goal for the club ultimately proved the difference.
It was somehow fitting that a full-back should settle matters, for this was a game where Tottenham’s had a decisive influence. With Watford defending as tightly and as centrally as we have come to expect from them, Trippier and Ben Davies were frequent outlets for Christian Eriksen, sitting slightly deeper than usual in midfield. They peppered the penalty area with crosses, but it took the introduction of Dele Alli on the hour to provide Tottenham with the spark they needed.
Tottenham's attacking stats
Having complained of dizziness during the game against Norwich in midweek, Alli was left out of the starting XI here. But he was instrumental from the moment he came on, providing the cross from which Trippier scored. He is developing a telepathic understanding with Harry Kane, and a knack for unlocking tight games that Tottenham have not seen since Gareth Bale took his topknot to the Bernabeu.
Heurelho Gomes marked his return to White Hart Lane with a typically kinetic performance, punching away crosses like a man fighting a puma. Watford were willing to put their bodies on the line, and in the case of Allan Nyom even his head, blocking a Nacer Chadli effort with heroic and glorious disregard for his cranial health.
But Spurs were getting closer. It was Kane who began the move that led to the goal: a lovely touch to Mousa Dembele, a delicate cross from Alli on the left, a flick off the fingertips of Gomes, an emphatic finish by Trippier. Trippier and Alli will grab the headlines, but the credit should really go to Dembele, perhaps Tottenham’s best player of the match, who did brilliantly to hold off two defenders in the build-up.
At which point, the Premier League’s most resilient defence began to kick in. Toby Alderweireld had a towering game, and Watford’s celebrated Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo barely got a whiff of goal.
Watford's attacking stats
The closing minutes were nervy, but over 90 minutes the weight of Watford’s threat was minimal.
This was a big test of resolve. And as Tottenham chase their first title since 1961, there will be many more.
- Telegraph