Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld has confessed that Wednesday night's EFL Cup defeat to West Ham United has acted as a "reality check" for his side.
The Lilywhites' positive run of form, seeing them go 11 matches without defeat in all competitions since August 20, came to an end at Wembley Stadium as they squandered a two-goal lead.
Spurs appeared to be cruising towards the quarter-finals of the competition, only to switch off and concede three times in the space of 15 second-half minutes to give bragging rights to their London rivals.
Alderweireld was unhappy with the manner of the loss, telling Sky Sports News: "We were not flying or anything in our heads, but I think it's a good reality check that you still need to work very hard, even if you're 2-0 up, to get results.
"You have to keep the level up because if you drop it a little bit you see what happens. It's a good thing to learn. Of course we'd love to have won, but we don't have to be too dramatic about it. Next time we have to do better."
Tottenham have a chance to put the defeat behind them when they head to Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon for a Premier League clash against Manchester United.
Daniel Lewis
