Tottenham news: We're older, wiser, stronger, says Mousa Dembele after memorable Chelsea win

Twice in 2016 Tottenham Hotspur held the lead against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They led 2-0 there in May but drew 2-2. They led 1-0 there in November and lost 2-1. Chelsea are a more experienced team than Spurs, a team that won the 2014-15 Premier League title and which will likely win this year too.

But when Spurs were 2-0 up against Chelsea on Wednesday night, in their second game of 2017, they did not fold. They closed out the win with remarkable maturity and control, barely allowing Chelsea a chance in the final 40 minutes of the match. It showed in the clearest possible way that this Spurs team have grown up. Or, as Mousa Dembele put it afterwards, they “played like adults”.

The Belgian midfielder put in another authoritative performance, dominating the middle of the pitch, the area that Spurs controlled. But what Dembele pointed to afterwards was how Spurs stuck to their plans all game. They did not get over-excited when ahead, try to change their game or even drag the Blues into a scrap. They just continued to play their game, and reaped the rewards.

“We knew how Chelsea would play,” Dembele said afterwards. “We know they have a lot of quality as well. It is not the first time we have played well against Chelsea. But this time when we went in front we did not panic, we kept playing and we wanted to score the second.”

That loyalty to Pochettino’s masterplan is where Dembele sees the difference between the old Spurs and the new Spurs. Pochettino said over the summer that this team needed to mature, and to take the last step towards success in their heads.

“That was very important and the difference between this and the previous times we played them,” Dembele said. “When we went in front in those games we tried to change the way we were playing, we wanted to battle. But this time we kept to our game and we played more liked adults. Yes, we played like adults. We were very relaxed.”

Dembele, like Jan Vertonghen, is now in his fifth season at Spurs and at 29 years old is one of the senior players. He has seen this team develop over the years, and come on quickly under Pochettino. Dembele nearly left when Pochettino arrived in 2014 but is now one of Spurs’ most important players. After he anchored midfield in the 1-1 draw at Arsenal earlier in the season, Pochettino said Dembele was a “genius”.

Now Dembele is the senior man in midfield, looking after Dele Alli, nine years younger than him. Alli has almost been released from his midfield duties now, so he can focus on scoring goals. Dembele spoke of Alli’s growth and how everyone at Spurs is now more grown up. “We are now another year or two together,” he said. “Dele is in his second season with us and growing all the time. All the team now know each other more, the manager as well. It is very important we have had time to develop.”

Now that Spurs have matured they can start to consider aiming for the very top of the table. Chelsea are there, seven points clear, to be knocked off their perch if Spurs can get close enough. “I am not just looking to Chelsea because I know, with the quality we have, we can do whatever we want to,” he said. “Last year we showed we are moving towards to doing something. This year, who knows? We are playing very well and we are confident we can go on a good run. Anything is possible.”