Sunday 20 March 2016 20:40, UK
Mauricio Pochettino believes an early goal was crucial as his Tottenham side beat Bournemouth 3-0 at White Hart Lane.
Harry Kane scored inside the opening minute for Spurs and added a second later in the half before Christian Eriksen completed the scoring after the break.
And the fast start was a statement of intent, according to the Spurs manager.
"I think it was very important, first action we score and it showed that we have come to play, to manage the game and I think we dominated the game," Pochettino told Sky Sports.
"It was never easy because Bournemouth played very well but we were strong, we showed a very good performance.
"Now we half two weeks to rest and recover with the international break and we focus on the next seven games."
Pochettino also hailed the performance of Kane but was quick to stress that it was a team effort that saw off Bournemouth.
"He's a fantastic player, I think he showed his quality and I'm very pleased he is with us," he said of his star striker.
"I think all the players deserve full credit for the result and this performance was fantastic. The collective performance was fantastic and the energy that we showed and how we played - you feel very, very proud.
"I think that we showed that we play and try to give our best in every game. What will happen, we will see, but we need to try and fight in every game. We need to believe."
