Tottenham star Dele Alli was “lucky” he was not seriously injured when he was hit by a plastic bottle during a cup match against London rivals Arsenal, according to Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The midfielder was struck by a water bottle thrown from an Arsenal section of the stands during the Carabao Cup quarterfinal which Tottenham won 2-0 to reach its first semifinal since 2015.
The episode at the Emirates Stadium happened just 17 days after a Spurs fan threw a banana skin at Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during the previous north London derby. That supporter was fined and handed a four-year football banning order.
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“I saw it and it was lucky that it wasn’t a big issue,” Pochettino told reporters.
“We play a derby and we hate each other in a good way but it is in a bad way when you go to damage some people or an opponent.
“It is only one stupid person who made a mistake. I respect the Arsenal fans. For one, you cannot talk about everyone.
“I hope that Arsenal take responsibility and, through the cameras, they can identify [who it was]. It wasn’t a problem but it could have been a big problem, some big issue and how are we going to fix it?”
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Ali had been walking away from the touchline when he was hit in the 73rd minute. He responded by making a 2-0 gesture with his hands towards the home supporters.
The 22-year-old, who had set up Son Heung-min’s opening goal and scored the second, said victory was made a “little bit sweeter.”