Dele Alli vented his frustrations after being subbed in the defeat to RB Leipzig
Dele Alli threw a tantrum after being subbed as Tottenham were left clinging to their Euro hopes.
Dele Alli didn't react well after being substituted last night.😳
Mourinho claims that the midfielder was angry at his own performance and not at him being substituted. Alli has struggled recently after starting off very well under Mourinho.#Spurs #UCL #Football pic.twitter.com/wcs1upAvR8
— Playa Bets (@Playabets) February 20, 2020
The England star slung his boots, then a bottle when he was hooked as Spurs lost their Champions League last-16 first leg to Timo Werner’s penalty.
But boss Jose Mourinho said: “I think he was angry with his performance, not me. I think he understands why I took him off – and the team improved.”
Alli was tasked with deputising for the injured Harry Kane and Son Heung-min upfront against the Bundesliga side.
But he suffered a disappointing night as Spurs struggled to fashion many clear cut chances in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
And the 23-year-old’s misery was compounded when Timo Werner struck the winner from the penalty spot after Konrad Laimer was brought down by Ben Davies.
Mourinho reacted to Leipzig’s away goal by subbing both Alli and Gedson Fernandes, but it was the former’s response that caught the eye.
Mourinho's reaction to Dele Alli:
"I think he was angry with his performance not with me, I think he knows why I took him off and the team improved."
Savage 😂😂😂pic.twitter.com/2jmNaSpJPp
— UTFR 🇾🇪 (@ManUtd_HQ) February 19, 2020
Taking his lead from the time his manager memorably lost his cool and hurled a crate of drinks into the Old Trafford turf, the midfielder launched his water bottle as he approached the bench.
Alli then unlaced his left boot and angrily slammed it on the ground before putting his head in his hands.
His mood failed to improve by the end of the match as replacements Erik Lamela and Tanguy Ndombele failed to find an equaliser for Spurs.
It was a frustrating evening all round in north London as Mourinho’s men relied on captain Hugo Lloris to keep them in the tie with several standout saves.
Mourinho added: “You can look at it and see two perspectives. One is this amazing group of guys who tried everything. Another is you see how we are at the moment.
“The other team played with Werner and bring on sub after sub. This is our situation and it is like being in a fight with a gun without bullets. We did what we could do.
“You have to look at our situation. If you want to make an exercise of football, you can think of a Champions League game for Barcelona without Messi, Suarez, and Griezmann or Liverpool with no Mane, Salah or Firmino, but they still have Origi.
“The result is 1-0, not 10-1 – the result is open, it’s as simple as that.
“We would not be the first team to lose the first game at home and win the tie away.
“The thing that keeps me confident in the spirit, the mentality of my players.”
Spurs will need to show the kind of guts that helped them turn things around against Ajax in last season’s Champions League semi-final if they are to progress.
“We have to give a lot of credit to Leipzig, they press very high and are a very good team.
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“We have to stay positive, not give up, not try to find excuses, and fight to the end. We are not really happy, but we have to deal with that. Let’s hope we can create another story.”