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23 Nov, 2019 15:41

'Great spirit, great football': All the reaction as Jose Mourinho claims debut win as Spurs boss

'Great spirit, great football': All the reaction as Jose Mourinho claims debut win as Spurs boss

Jose Mourinho got off to the best start possible in his new job in North London as his Spurs team bested West Ham to claim the club's first away win since January

Mourinho's instant impact at the club has seen them arrest their dire away record which saw former boss Mauricio Pochettino claim just three points from his final 12 away games in charge of last season's Champions League finalists as they beat West Ham by three goals to two in a fiery London derby.

Also on rt.com Jose’s joy: Mourinho makes winning return but Spurs made to sweat at West Ham

Prior to the game, Mourinho had challenged Tottenham's Dele Alli to arrest his dip in form which has seen him dropped from the England squad and he was rewarded by the Englishman's best performance of the season so far - as evidenced by the cheeky flick he laid on for Son Heung-min which led to Lucas Moura doubling their lead after Son scored the first goal of Mourinho's tenure on 36 minutes.

Despite his limited time with team on the training ground since his appointment this week, several of the Mourinho characteristics were apparent throughout Tottenham's performance. Eric Dier, a figure admired by the Portuguese coach, will be central to his plans for the remainder of the season one suspects and the England international repaid his new manager's faith with a typically industrious performance in the middle of the park.

Mourinho will still have some work to do to convince the Spurs fanbase that he is better equipped to guide the club forward than former boss Pochettino who remains a popular figure at the club.

Some fans, though, have noted the night and day difference between the performances which mired Pochettino's final weeks at the club and those which Mourinho was able to coax out of the players during the early Saturday kick-off.

A hoarse Mourinho himself told Spurs TV that the team had showed "great spirit and great football," declaring himself "so happy with what we did." 

However, despite the clear positives which can be taken from Mourinho's debut some fans remain cautious. After all, Mourinho's latter career at Manchester United and Chelsea was marked for good starts which eventually gave way and saw the club's slide down the table. 

Whether or not this happens again will remain to be seen but, for now at least, there will be some smiling faces on the Tottenham training ground come Monday morning - something which appears to have been absent from the club for several months.

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