Dele Alli concedes Tottenham may have got a “little bit carried away” as talk of a Premier League title tilt grew towards the end of 2018.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side moved second on Boxing Day with a 5-0 defeat of Bournemouth, leading talk to grow that Spurs could seriously challenge for their first league crown since 1961.
But that success was followed by a gut punch in the final fixture of the year as Wolves came from behind to secure a 3-1 win at Wembley that left Tottenham reeling.
Asked what Pochettino told the squad after that loss, Alli said: “I don’t think he needed to say too much, to be honest. As players we were disappointed.
“We had been in great form before that and maybe we got a little bit carried away with ourselves.
“They’re a fantastic team and maybe we just thought we would win the game (against Wolves).
“But you can’t do that if you want to win things and be a top, top team.
“You have to be clinical and ruthless in every game and you can’t afford to take your foot off the gas and we all had a look at ourselves after and we know we can’t let that happen.”
It was an interesting admission by Alli, who helped Spurs make an impressive response by beating Cardiff 3-0 in the league before captaining the side to a record 7-0 away win against Tranmere in the FA Cup on Friday.
“With the games coming so quickly, it’s a good thing when you lose a game to have a game a few days after because all you want to do is get back out there and make things right,” the attacking midfielder said of the start to 2019.
“You can’t afford to dwell on it or let it knock your confidence because that’s when things can take a turn for the worse.
“You’ve got to turn over quickly and make sure you’re switched on for the next game.”