Those with designs on the title, particularly Manchester United and Manchester City, should take note, as Mauricio Pochettino’s team prepare to visit Old Trafford on Saturday.
Last season, Pochettino said many times that the long farewell to White Hart Lane had created a special bond between players and supporters. It felt impossible to make the same connection at Wembley, no matter how hard both tried.
The link has been forged again. Had you closed your eyes during the dismantling of Liverpool, you could quite easily have been at White Hart Lane. Tottenham started quickly, the supporters bellowing their approval. Marginal decisions in Liverpool’s favour were greeted by screams of anger. The White Hart Lane songs were back, too, as the 80,827 crowd — a record attendance for a Premier League fixture — summoned the spirit of the old place.
Even Diego Maradona, who attended the game as a guest of the club, was carried along by it during his half-time appearance, waving the No10 Spurs shirt he was given in flamboyant fashion. While it would be naive to expect the same atmosphere for home games against Swansea or West Brom, rival clubs will no longer feel welcome at Wembley.
Anyone who saw Tottenham’s performance against Liverpool — and heard how the supporters reacted to it — will understand that the national stadium is a ‘neutral’ venue no longer. Tottenham have made it clear that from now until May 13, the final round of Premier League fixtures, Wembley belongs to them.
So far this season, Tottenham have answered every question. They have shown they can compete in the Champions League, taking four points from two matches against Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
They can win big games at Wembley, with both Dortmund and Liverpool dispatched under the arch. Thanks to his first win over Jurgen Klopp in six attempts, Pochettino now has at least one victory over each of the managers of the Premier League’s six strongest clubs. In five days’ time, there is another big challenge: trying to beat United away from home, with Spurs playing poorly and losing all three of their matches there under Pochettino.
The more Pochettino and his players denied it, the more apparent it was that Wembley was having an effect on Tottenham’s minds. To go with the poor results, they had some rotten luck. Twice they were the better side against Chelsea, but twice Antonio Conte’s team defeated them, in the FA Cup semi-finals last season and in the League this.
Against Gent in the Europa League in February, Tottenham had Dele Alli sent off, yet still created enough chances to win three games; a 2-2 draw put them out of the competition. If Tottenham and their fans had started to believe they were cursed at Wembley, you could understand why.
“I am so pleased for the team and for our fans because we are starting to change the feeling that it was so difficult to play here at Wembley,” said Pochettino. “We are starting to feel that Wembley can be our home, and that is so important for the rest of the season, to build confidence.”
Tottenham are only an injury to Harry Kane away from looking vulnerable again yet, with the possible exception of City, the same is true of all the best teams. Chelsea looked tame without Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata, as might United without Romelu Lukaku. Yet, Spurs have coped far better with absences than they did this time last year. Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama, probably the best central midfield pairing in the division in 2016-17, have started only seven matches between them in all competitions this campaign.
No matter, as Harry Winks improves by the game and Moussa Sissoko performs at a level that appeared beyond him during a miserable debut season. Heung-min Son rarely lets his team down and delivered a typically energetic performance, scoring the second goal and striking the bar. Kane had opened the scoring before Son’s goal, and though Mohamed Salah struck for Liverpool, Dele Alli and Kane ensured there would be no comeback.
Though Tottenham are five points behind City, they can establish themselves as their principal challengers by beating United. Before that, they face West Ham in the Carabao Cup, ahead of next week’s fixtures against Real Madrid and Crystal Palace in the Champions League and Premier League.
That means three of the next four matches are at Wembley, a wonderful chance for Tottenham to prove again that this can be just as intimidating a stadium as White Hart Lane.