Hard work paying off, claims Eric

Defending from the front was key to our victory over Arsenal on Saturday, according to Eric Dier.

Two second half goals from Harry Kane cancelled out Mesut Ozil’s early opener as we worked hard to get our reward against the Gunners, claiming a 2-1 win at White Hart Lane.

Much has been said about the immense work rate shown by the team against our rivals, with young defender Eric keen to point out how even the forwards and midfielders supported himself and centre-half partner Jan Vertonghen to restrict the visitors to only the occasional opening.

“We did really well defensively but I think, particularly in this game, it started from the attackers,” said the 21-year-old, who was recalled to our starting line-up at the weekend. “They didn’t let Arsenal breathe from the beginning. That made things really hard for them and made our job easier at the back.

“I’m obviously really happy and it’s a great win for everyone – especially the fans. They’ve deserved that for a while and I think we as players have as well. We’ve been getting better and better and I think after Saturday we can see all our work is paying off.”

Quickly turning his attentions to another massive game in Tuesday’s trip to Liverpool, Eric says the players will go to Anfield believing that another victory is within reach.

“We’ve got to be ambitious,” he added. “After winning against Arsenal we must go to Liverpool and look to win again.

“We’ve got to take the positives from Saturday, of which there were a lot, and now kick on at Liverpool. They’re a great team, they’ve got lots of attacking threats like Arsenal and it’s going to be a tough game for everyone but we’re looking forward to it.”