Pochettino pointed out that it was his attacking midfielders who needed to score more, however. “We cannot have all the pressure on our striker. Our second line need to score more, be more determined, and maybe we are lacking those goals this season.”

Dele Alli agreed. “In our general play, we haven’t been as sharp and clinical as we need to be in the final third,” the midfielder said. “In the past three games we felt we should have nine points. With the team we’ve got, we want to be winning every game. But it is important not to be too down on ourselves. We need to keep fighting and just put away the chances.”

After Leverkusen, Tottenham visit Arsenal, who pipped them to second place behind champions Leicester last season. After four successive away defeats this season, Claudio Ranieri effectively wrote off his side’s chances of repeating that feat, but on Saturday he welcomed the return of the resilience that made them unlikely champions.