A stunning statistic has revealed just how little impact Spurs midfielder Dele Alli made in the second half during his side's 4-2 loss to Arsenal on Sunday, showing that the player made just six passes - four of which were from kick-offs.
The England international was among a number of Spurs players who underperformed in the north London derby, as the Gunners came back from 2-1 down at half-time to triumph 4-2. It was a typically hot-tempered match, as Alli clashed with Arsenal substitute Aaron Ramsey following his side's first half equaliser.
Dele Alli completed just six passes in the second half of the North London derby.
— bet365 (@bet365) December 2, 2018
Four of those were from kick-offs. pic.twitter.com/MTs1sq3ghj
In an enthralling match, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave his side an early lead with a penalty, before a quick-fire Spurs double courtesy of Eric Dier and Harry Kane put the visitors in front midway through the first half. The Gunners looked a new side in the second half, and goals from Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Lucas Torreira sealed a famous win.
The loss saw Spurs slip to fifth in the table, and will come as a hammer blow to Mauricio Pochettino's side's aspirations of challenging for the Premier League title. The Lilywhites were in excellent form heading into the game, having picked up two big wins against Chelsea and Inter at Wembley Stadium.
FULL-TIME: A second-half comeback from the home side sees them take all three points in the derby. pic.twitter.com/GlBpu2BcLA
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 2, 2018
Manchester City and Liverpool continued to increase the gap at the top of the table with their respective wins last weekend, with the former now two points clear, with Spurs eight points adrift of the leaders. Pochettino is yet to win any silverware with the club since he joined in 2014, and the pressure could begin to mount if he draws another blank this season.
Meanwhile, Pochettino claimed that his side were 'off the pace' after slumping to the demoralising defeat against their rivals. The Argentine manager suggested that his side were suffering from fatigue following their matches against Chelsea and Inter, and that they were better than their opponents during some stages of the match.
Source : 90min