Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has heaped praise on Dele Alli following another impressive Premier League performance. The England international has been Spurs’ standout player since the appointment of Mourinho at the helm last month and he came up with the crucial winner in the 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Boxing Day.

The north London side had a goal chalked off for offside in the first half and they went into the break with a deficit after Adam Webster scored from a corner for Brighton. However, they managed to level the scores shortly after the interval through Harry Kane before Alli came up with a quick strike on goal from a Serge Aurier pass.

Alli’s fourth goal in six league matches was sufficient to hand Spurs with the victory and following the game, Mourinho heaped praise on the 23-year-old, who has shown signs of returning to his old self, which made him a huge hit during the early stages of his Spurs career, he told: “I am very happy with second half. We changed bits, I am not saying players were wrong but we changed bits and that makes a difference. The first half was not a disaster, we were playing a good game.

“In the second half the players put all the negative aside and were very strong in their performance. Another goal and another incredible performance [Alli] and effort. The work rate was absolutely incredible from Dele. The little details are more important than what people look at. His attitude and fighting spirit was so good.”

With the victory, Spurs have jumped to within three points off fourth-placed Chelsea, who suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to Southampton at Stamford Bridge. They are scheduled to face bottom-placed Norwich City in the forthcoming game and they could potentially end the calendar year by propelling into the top four positions.