Tottenham Hotspur succumbed to their fifth defeat in their last six Premier League matches as they were beaten 2-1 by West Ham United on Saturday.
It was Michail Antonio and Jese Lingard’s goals that helped the Hammers to win the match. Lucas Moura was the only scorer for the Spurs and obviously that didn’t turn out enough to gain even a point from the match.
The loss pushed Tottenham down to the ninth spot in the Premier League table now, nine points behind West Ham, who rose up to the fourth spot.
Spurs manager Jose Mourinho admitted after the game that it is becoming an increasingly difficult task for them to finish inside the top four and their best chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season would be to win the Europa League.
“It is very difficult to think about top four. The top four, five, six teams, they are getting points. It is going to be very, very hard,” Mourinho told Sky Sports.
“The Europa League is a great motivation. Its not easy, but a great motivation because it can be a way to get a Champions League spot and at the same time a trophy,” he added.
However, the Portuguese changed his stance on the top four race a bit when he addressed the reporters after that.
“It is mathematically possible. When it is mathematically possible, it is realistic,” he added.
“Very hard, yes, very hard, but mathematically possible.
“You sometimes need also a little bit of luck to go in your favour. I believe that if this team wins a couple of matches in a row, that the situation can change, and that we can still fight for top four.
“Of course if you say nine points now, it is difficult, but is very possible.
“And the Europa League. We are alive, and when we are alive, knowing that [there are] many difficult opponents, and everybody has the same ambition that we have, but Europa League is a window of opportunity that is open for us, and maybe we can also get to Champions League through the Europa League.”
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