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Dele Alli gives brutal Tottenham assessment as Spurs fall to another defeat at Leicester

Tottenham’s Dele Alli, center left, has a shot at goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Tottenham’s Dele Alli, center left, has a shot at goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli admitted his side produced an unacceptable performance as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Leicester.

First half goals from Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez came amid a below par display from Mauricio Pochettino’s side, with their improved second half performance not enough to give Spurs a point.

Alli has come under fire for some of his performances this season and he was quick to face up to the media as Spurs dropped three more points after a run that included last Saturday’s draw against West Bromwich Albion and a north London derby defeat against Arsenal.

AS IT HAPPENED: Leicester v Tottenham

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“It was a very disappointing performance from us in the first half,” said Alli. “We should never have been in the situation where we were two goals behind. It was not good enough.

“We can’t focus on that. After performances like this we have to keep picking up points. To lose to Leicester away is disappointing but we have to pick ourselves up.

“We have to keep performing. It is a long season and we just have to keep picking up points.”

Pochettino was equally downbeat, as he admitted his side were not performing to their potential as they fell further behind their top four rivals with a fourth defeat of the season.


“We did not play in the way we normally play,” said the Spurs boss. “The first half was a poor performance and it was difficult after that to get back into the game.

“We feel very disappointed in our performance. We started the game not in the right way and we conceded the opportunity to them to score. At 2-0 down it is difficult. We need to improve the way we start. It happened against West Brom and Borussia Dortmund.”

Tottenham had late appeals for a penalty waved away by referee Anthony Taylor, with their alarming dip in form a real concern for Pochettino ahead of Saturday’s trip to Watford.