Tottenham vs Man Utd: Mauricio Pochettino believes win sends Leicester a title warning that race is far from over

Pochettino says his side are ready to capitalise should Leicester slip-up in their quest to win the Premier League title

Mauricio Pochettino embraces Harry Kane during Tottenham's 3-0 win over Manchester United (Getty)

Mauricio Pochettino believes that Tottenham Hotspur sent a warning to Leicester City by keeping the gap between the two sides at seven points. Spurs beat Manchester United 3-0 after watching Leicester win their game, ensuring that if Leicester do slip up Spurs will still be there to take advantage.

Leicester only need to win three of their final five games to ensure their first ever title, but Pochettino said that his side will not let up in their pursuit of the league leaders.

“We sent a message that we are there, waiting and fighting,” Pochettino said. “If they fail we need to stay there. It’s true that seven points is a difficult gap to reduce, but we need to believe. And the performance like today, and the result like today, showed that this team believes. What happens in the end, we will see. But it is important to keep this mentality.”

Pochettino was delighted with the courage and conviction of his players after they blew United away with three goals in six second-half minutes.

“Belief is always important in football,” Pochettino said. “I think it was a fantastic performance against a team that, in history, was difficult to beat. After 15 years it was important for our fans to enjoy this type of game. I feel very proud, full credit to our players, fantastic performance and effort. We are still fighting.”

The kick-off was delayed by 30 minutes because Seven Sisters Road was shut, and that gave time for Pochettino and his staff to watch the Leicester game beforehand. “It was hard, because you expect a different result,” Pochettino admitted.

“But Leicester showed big character and personality, with a good performance, they fully deserved the result. It was important for us to show character, personality and maturity. I think we moved one step forward. It was an experience for this young squad to play with pressure and try to reduce the gap.”