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Tottenham Hotspur returned to winning ways on Wednesday when they defeated Wolfsberger AC 4-0 in the UEFA Europa League Round of 32.
Jose Mourinho's men completely dominated their Austrian opponents and ended up putting four goals past them at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Carlos Vinicius netted a double while Dele Alli and Gareth Bale also got their names on the scoresheet. With Spurs having won the first leg 4-1, this looks more like a dead rubber encounter.
Gareth Bale and Dele Alli impress Jose Mourinho
Gareth Bale and Dele Alli were impressive for Tottenham Hotspur against Wolfsberger. They have rarely played under Jose Mourinho, with speculation mounting over their futures at the club.
Alli scored Tottenham Hotspur’s opening goal with a stupendous overhead kick before setting up two other goals in the 4-0 win.
Meanwhile, Bale entered the game as a 60th-minute substitute and immediately made his presence felt. The on-loan Real Madrid star also got his name on the scoresheet with a sweet curling effort.
Some weeks ago, Bale and Alli were frozen out of Mourinho’s team. However, it now appears that both players are gradually working their way back into the Portuguese’s plans. Their performance in the Europa League will surely give their manager some headaches in his next line-up selection.
Jose Mourinho’s praise for Tottenham Hotspur duo
Jose Mourinho was full of praise for Gareth Bale and Dele Alli when he addressed the media in his post-match press conference.
On Bale, the Portuguese said, as quoted by Goal:
“He doesn’t need to convince me of anything. I am totally convinced about everything," Mourinho said. "It’s not about convincing me, it’s about being ready to play the minutes we all would love him to play.
“It’s a process. You feel that in matches in the last couple of years. It’s the process. We want him of course to be ready to play every minute of every game.”
He was equally effusive in his praise for Alli, saying:
“He is playing very well, I am not saying in this moment we have a starting line-up because of so many matches but it is coming.
"The goal was beautiful but the meaning of the assists and hard work for team means more to me. That work of continuity in the performance is what makes me really happy."
Bale and Alli are yet to hit their best form, but they showed glimpses of their brilliance on Wednesday. Thankfully, their manager has taken notice.
