Pochettino plays down Spurs form

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino played down the significance of his side’s start to the Premier League season after a 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Monday.

First-half goals from Mousa Dembele and Dele Alli set up Tottenham’s win at White Hart Lane, but they needed a late effort from Harry Kane after Jordan Ayew pulled a goal back for Villa to set up a nervy final 10 minutes.

Pochettino’s side are unbeaten in the Premier League since the opening day of the season and the win saw them rise to fifth in the table.

But the Argentinian urged his team to stay focused ahead of tough league games against Arsenal, West Ham and Chelsea.

“It [unbeaten league run] is not important,” Pochettino told Sky Sports.

“The next game is important and we need to keep our focus and win the next game. Our start is good but that’s nothing.”

Alli’s goal in first-half additional time was his second of the season as his impressive start at Tottenham continued.

Pochettino said he wanted to keep the 19-year-old, who was at MK Dons in League One last season, grounded.

“We need to provide him with the tools to improve his game. He is still young and I always say young players need to keep their feet on the ground. This is very important,” he said.

“When you have quality like he does you have to push him and try to improve his game. I’m very pleased with him.”