Mourinho masterstroke pays off as Tottenham hit back to win

Thursday, 28 November 2019 02:17 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

London (Reuters): Eric Dier became the first Tottenham Hotspur player to discover Jose Mourinho’s ruthless streak as the Portuguese manager’s decision to haul off the midfielder after half an hour ultimately proved a masterstroke on Tuesday.

Mourinho’s first home game in charge after replacing Mauricio Pochettino was turning ugly as Greek side Olympiakos Piraeus led 2-0 inside 20 minutes of the Champions’ League Group B game.

But twice Champions League winner Mourinho acted decisively, sacrificing Dier’s defensive shield, and sent on Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen who, just as on Saturday in Mourinho’s debut win over West Ham United, had been left on the bench.

It took a while for the tactical switch to work but Dele Alli levelled on the stroke of halftime and the second half saw Tottenham run riot with Harry Kane scoring twice either side of a thumping effort by Serge Aurier.

Tottenham, runners-up in June under Pochettino, have qualified for the last 16 and in Mourinho’s first two games in charge they have scored seven and conceded four, perhaps confounding those who said he would bring boring football to north London.

While the Dier/Eriksen swap worked a treat, Mourinho said it had been the hardest part of his evening.

Mourinho, sacked by Manchester United last season after his reign there turned sour, has been charm personified since swapping punditry for the Tottenham job.

With a home game against Bournemouth this weekend, Mourinho has every chance of starting with three straight wins.

“Next game at home I expect the boys to start without ghosts, open and confident,” he said.