Mauricio Pochettino has revealed Dele Alli was only withdrawn as a precaution during Tottenham’s 6-2 win over Everton.
The 22-year-old scored the second goal in the eight-goal thriller, slamming home the rebound after Heung-min Son’s effort was well saved by Jordan Pickford.
But he was seen holding his hamstring after a heavy challenge from Everton keeper Pickford shortly before the break and was replaced at half-time by Erik Lamela.
There were fears that Alli could miss a number of important games over the festive period, but Pochettino confirmed the injury was not as bad as first feared.
“He didn’t feel a big problem,” the Spurs boss told Sky Sports after the game.
“Maybe [he was] a little bit tired from Wednesday. I hope it’s not a big issue. It was a precaution.”
Despite Alli’s injury, Tottenham continued their domination after half-time with goals from Son, Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen to climb within two points of second-placed Manchester City.
While Pochettino was coy on his side’s chances of catching the top two, the Argentine admitted they his side are in a good position to finish in the top four, with London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal now five points adrift.
“I think it’s clear that Liverpool and Man City are the two favourite teams to fight for the title,” he added.
“But we are in a very good position in the table… [but so are] Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United. There are a lot of games to play.”
(Standard Sport)