‘He had to go down’: Pochettino and Hodgson defend 21-year-old amid controversy

Mauricio Pochettino and Roy Hodgson have defended Dele Alli after the Tottenham star was accused of diving in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Spurs left Selhurst Park with all three points after Harry Kane headed in a late winner following a dominant display by the visiting side.

Alli was involved in two separate incidents in which he was accused of diving in the second half – he was neither awarded a penalty nor given a yellow card.

For me, the first was a clear penalty. Patrick van Aanholt crashed into the back of Alli and knocked him to the ground.

But I think the second was a dive. Alli jumped into a challenge with Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey in order to create contact.

After the game, both managers defended Alli and ...