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Attendance: 62,202

Premier League

Dec 9, 2017 at 3pm UK

Spurs Tottenham Hotspur
5-1
Stoke Stoke City

Shawcross (21' og.), Heung-min (53'), Kane (54', 65'), Eriksen (74')

FT(HT: 1-0)

Shawcross (80')

Mauricio Pochettino: 'Tottenham Hotspur squad needs competition for places'

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 08 December 2017

Pochettino: 'Spurs squad needs competition'

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino says that he is happy to have competition for places in his squad ahead of the upcoming Christmas period.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that he was delighted that a number of his first-team squad got 90 minutes under their belt on Wednesday night.

A much-changed side claimed a 3-0 win over APOEL in the Champions League, with Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and Fernando Llorente both scoring their first goals for the club.

Defender Juan Foyth also made just his third start of the season, and Pochettino has hinted that the trio are likely to be used during the final weeks of 2017.

The 45-year-old told reporters: "For different players it was very positive to play the game, to play 90 minutes. Players that don't have the possibility to play regularly in the starting XI.

"Also it's important to increase the competition between them and build their confidence, like Nkoudou or Juan Foyth or Fernando Llorente, who scored. It's so important because we have ahead a busy period.

"It looks now that we are going to need all the squad, every player fit and confident. Because we are going to need everyone to play."

Spurs face six fixtures before the end of the year, before starting 2018 with two games in quick succession against West Ham United and AFC Wimbledon.