Pochettino salutes Tottenham character

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino praised his players for the character they showed against Anderlecht in the Europa League.

Mousa Dembele struck three minutes from time as Tottenham overcame Anderlecht 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Thursday.

The in-form Belgian midfielder produced a powerful effort from the edge of the area to help send Tottenham top of Group J after Anderlecht’s Imoh Ezekiel had cancelled out Harry Kane’s first-half opener.

Tottenham were not at their fluid best against the Belgian visitors but Pochettino was pleased to see his players emerge with the three points ahead of Sunday’s London derby at Arsenal.

“I think we showed character. I’ve got to congratulate the players. It’s impossible to play well all the time,” Pochettino said.

“You need to show character, compete and suffer. I think the players will learn a lot.

“It’s good to get the three points as we are top of the table and we now to refocus on Sunday.”