Dele Alli’s best moments are when he sees it and plays it, circuits whirring | Barney Ronay

There has been a prolonged attempt to find the Spurs No 20’s best position and here was the answer – a floating No 10 behind two strikers

It is easy to forget that Dele Alli is still only 22, such have been the vicissitudes of a career that has seen him ease through the incredulous highs and lows of two England tournaments and during which his own levels have veered between a performance of rare destructive beauty against Real Madrid and those afternoons when he simply drifts through a game, a sublime attacking talent in search of a hook on which to hang.

At the Emirates, Alli provided two moments of brilliance in the heat of an evenly matched knockout derby. He was central to the action again a little later when a spectator on the far side threw a plastic water bottle at his head with Tottenham 2‑0 up, something Alli then reminded that section of the crowd of thanks to some helpful hand gestures.

Continue reading...