Dele Alli

Spurs on Cloud Nine!

Tottenham Hotspur beat their North London rivals, Arsenal, 2-0 to win for the ninth time in a row in the Premier League. It's the first time Spurs have won nine consecutive games since 1960 and what better team to do it against than their fiercest rivals. They are also now certain to finish above Arsenal for the first time since 1994/95. Only a fantastic performance by Arsenal's goalkeeper, Petr Cech, kept the scores level at the break. But, Spurs made their domination count in the second half. In the 55th minute, Dele Alli scored from close-range. It was his 21st goal of the season and he continues to be one of the greatest young players in European football at the moment. Just four minutes later, Gabriel slid into a tackle on Harry Kane and the referee pointed to the spot. Kane got up and scored the penalty himself. It was a great display from Spurs as they continue to chase Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table.

It's a huge win for us and the fans. 

Dele Alli, Tottenham Hotspur.

Was this the last North London Derby at White Hart Lane?

Yes. Tottenham are building a new stadium, but they won't be moving very far. Their new stadium is being built across the road from their current stadium. White Hart Lane's current capacity is 36,284 and is seen as too small to sustain a top European football club. The new stadium will hold 61,000 fans and will be a state-of-the-art stadium. Facilities will include; a sports centre, a health centre, cafe, public park, a supermarket, a school, 580 new houses, a school and a college specialising in sports, science and health. However, the new stadium will not be ready until the start of the 2018/19 season. Next season, Spurs will play at Wembley Stadium while they wait for their new stadium to be built.

He's the best young midfield player I've seen in England for many years, probably going as far back as Paul Gascoigne. The boy's got everything. 

Sir Alex Ferguson,  ex-Manchester Utd manager.

Is Dele Alli the best young player in the Premier League?

Dele Alli was born in April 1996, in Milton Keynes, a large town in the south of England. His mum is English and his dad Nigerian, so he could have chosen to play for either national team, but after playing for England as a youth player he decided to play for them. This is the opposite of Arsenal's young forward, Alex Iwobi, who played for England as a youth player but decided to play for Nigeria. Alli's first professional club was MK Dons, based in his hometown. He played 88 times for the Dons, before moving to Spurs in the summer of 2015 for £5 million. He said that his target at the start of the season was to play ten matches for the first-team, but he exceeded all expectations. By the end of the season he was already a regular in the starting line-up and also won the PFA Young Player of the Year, which he won again this season.

Honoured to be awarded the PFA young player of the year, couldn't of done it without my team mates. Not stopping here, onwards and upwards pic.twitter.com/mq0ZDfLdF8

— Dele (@Dele_Alli) April 24, 2017

Can Spurs catch Chelsea?

Spurs are now four points behind Chelsea, with four matches left to play. After their fantastic performance against Arsenal, the momentum is with Spurs and Chelsea might start to feel the pressure. But, Chelsea have lots of experienced players and won the Premier League only two seasons ago. Tottenham's title run-in looks more difficult on paper. Spurs have three away matches and only one at home, which is against Manchester Utd. Chelsea have three home matches and only one away match. Two of their home matches are against teams who may be relegated when Chelsea play them (Middlesbrough and Sunderland). Chelsea also play Watford and West Brom but they have little to play for and will finish the season in mid-table. Have a look at the table below, which shows the title run-in. Let us know in the comments section who you think will win the Premier League title?

The Premier League Title Race

	Round 35	Round 36	Round 37	Round 38
	Middlesbrough (H)	West Brom (A)	Watford (H)	Sunderland (H)
	West Ham (A)	Man Utd (H)	Leicester (A)	Hull City (A)

Did you know......?

Dele Alli's first name is actually Bamidele and he uses Dele for short.

Alli has scored six goals against the top six clubs this season. More than Alexis, Mesut Ozil and Harry Kane put together!

Alli was a Liverpool fan growing up, and Steven Gerrard was his childhood hero.

Tottenham have won their last nine Premier League matches.

Tottenham will finish above Arsenal for the fisrt time since 1994/95, this season.

Comment

What do you think?

Tottenham Hotspur's 20 year-old midfielder, Dele Alli, has become very important to Spurs' Premier League title challenge. 

Is Dele Alli the best midfielder in the Premier League?

Which player is most important to this Tottenham team?

There are just four Premier League matches left. Who do you think will win the Premier League title?

Leave your message in the comments section below.