Jose Mourinho admitted he was angry with Dele Alli for creating “problems for his own team” during Tottenham’s 3-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final win at Stoke.
Spurs booked their place in the last four thanks to goals from Gareth Bale, Ben Davies and Harry Kane against the Championship club and they are now just two wins away from winning the competition.
They made life harder for themselves as Alli attempted a flick during a transition, gave the ball away and Stoke went on to equalise with their first shot of the match through Jordan Thompson.
The 24-year-old was given a chance to prove himself to Mourinho, having found himself out of the fold in recent weeks, and that moment undid a promising first half.
He was substituted shortly after and Mourinho blamed him for the goal they conceded.
“Yes, for me a player that plays in that position is a player that has to link and create and not to create problems for his own team,” Mourinho said.
“In that situation, an objective counter-attack would probably end with a goal, and it ended with a counter-attack behind our defenders.
“We were unbalanced because when you are in possession you have full-backs out wide and another midfielder in a different line and they caught us in a counter-attack and they transformed the result of the game that was totally in our hands, so yes I am upset.”
2:06Jose: Bale’s decision to come off
Spurs were able to recover from that as Davies and Kane struck in the final 10 minutes to get the win they deserved.
Bale’s header had put Spurs in front midway through the first half, but the Wales international did not appear after the interval as he asked to come off following a calf injury.
Mourinho said: “Yeah, it was his decision.
“Something he felt in the last part of the first half and he didn’t want to come out before the second half so he stayed. While he was walking to the dressing room he told me immediately that he couldn’t come for the second half.
“Something I think with (his) calf. I’m not sure as at that time I just want to reorganise the team and make the change.”
“Yeah, was his decision. Something he felt in the last part of the first half and he didn’t want to come out before the second half so he stayed. Something I think with (his) calf.”
‘Carabao Cup our best chance of silverware’
Mourinho has won the League Cup every time he has got to the semi-finals, and with a one-legged semi-final and a Wembley showpiece all that is between Spurs and silverware, the Tottenham boss knows this competition is their best chance of ending their trophy drought.
“To win this trophy we need to win two matches. But they are two very difficult matches,” he added.
“To win other trophies you need to win more matches. The FA Cup didn’t start for us. The Europa League we are in the last 32.
“We are really far from getting there. In the Premier League I told you already what we are. But they are a very difficult two matches. If you win the first one you have to win the second.
“The teams that are going to be there are very difficult teams. Man City are very difficult. Brentford, for me, the way they play they are not Championship, they are Premier League.
“And Everton or Manchester United are one of the very top teams. But we are in the semi-finals and we will be there to fight.”
What’s next for Spurs?
Tottenham are back in Premier League action on Sunday, December 27 when they face a trip to Wolves, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 7.15pm.
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