“Football is a collective sport, but sometimes it’s not so collective,” Pochettino said. “We have that ­collective and it is a big achievement for the squad and we need to protect that.

“I believe in my players. I show belief in them from the beginning of the season. Today it is easy to ­believe. The most important thing was to believe from the first day of pre-season. That’s the reason they behave like this today. They have a very strong mentality not only to play in the derbies, but for every game.”

Tottenham will need their ­leaders against the Hammers and then ­Arsenal on Saturday, but Pochettino prefers his players to be brave with the ball rather than attempting to scare their opponents through aggression.

“To show character is to take the ball and take a risk, and to play in the way that we play. To be brave is not to kick someone. It is to take the ball and play.

“We cannot forget that we play football – we are not playing rugby or doing boxing, we play football. To show character is not to kick someone when you play football. It is to take the ball and take risks in a different position in the game and this is the way you show character and that you are brave.”