Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was pleased with the way his side played at Arsenal and is setting no limits for the season.
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Pictures showed Townsend seeming to have a dispute with Gardiner and pushing him away on the pitch at White Hart Lane following Monday night’s 3-1 home win over Aston Villa, when he was an unused substitute for the second game in a row, having not started a Premier League game all season. Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld will continue in the middle of defence. In Spurs great run of form youngsters Eric Dier and Dele Alli have been solid in the middle of the park, they will be looking to impress again, especially with the global Break up and coming.
Meanwhile, Tottenham have been boosted by the return of South Korean striker Son Heung-min for Thursday’s match against Anderlecht.
Cesc Fabregas then handled the ball in the area, and Van der Vaart converted the resulting penalty to bring Spurs level with 20 minutes left to play – “setting up a grandstand finish” as it’s known in the trade.
Against Anderlecht, they dropped points following a 2-1 defeat. “They’ve had a few draws but overall they’ve looked stable”.
Tottenham’s demanding week now boasts two wins out of two, with the most important hurdle to come in the derby.
“I think we showed character”.
In recent seasons, you knew what a European group game at White Hart Lane would probably deliver: a below-average crowd, an air of indifference and significant changes to the starting XI.
Mousa Dembele’s 87th minute victor.
The north London derby awaits both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur with this rivalry set to reignite on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s more mental than physical, playing every two days, and we’re in a very good run – we need to keep focused because we have a very important game”.
Arsenal are hopeful Laurent Koscielny will recover from a hip problem in time to play, but right-back Hector Bellerin is still sidelined by a groin injury.
Roy Hodgson was saddened by the incident that saw Andros Townsend punished by Tottenham, but insists it had nothing to do with his exclusion from the latest England squad.
Tottenham move three points ahead of Anderlecht, with a five-hour trip to Qarabag to come next for Pochettino’s men before their final group match at home to Monaco.
Kane hopes Spurs can maintain their momentum to secure a place in the knock-out stage.
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However, Lloris was busy early in the second half, keeping out efforts from Defour and Tielemans as Anderlecht went in search of a way back into the game.
