Son, Lloris Tottenham spat is definitely a good sign, insists contended Mourinho

Jose Mourinho declared himself encouraged by the half-time spat between Heung-Min Son and Hugo Lloris – which he said was a sign of his players caring.

The Tottenham boss enjoyed his 200th win as a Premier League manager on Monday night against Everton – one of only five to reach that landmark.

Only Alex Ferguson reached the total in fewer matches than Mourinho’s 326. The former Man United supremo needed four fewer games to reach it.

The heated confrontation between his two players was out of keeping with a lukewarm contest which hardly raised the temperature. Spurs eked out a 1-0 win that will not live long in the memory.

Mourinho says it was probably a reaction to heated arguments within the group following last week’s hugely disappointing 3-1 defeat at Sheffield United.

"[The argument] was probably as a consequence of our meetings. If you want to blame someone for that it's me," said the Tottenham boss.

"I was critical of my boys. They were not critical enough with themselves. I asked them to be more demanding of each other.

"Son is an amazing kid. Everybody likes Son, but the captain told him you have to do more and give more to the team.

"It is something needed for the team to grow up. To grow up you need big personalities. When you have that reaction I have no doubts."

The players seemed fine at full-time, embracing each other.

With five games to go, Spurs are still seven points adrift of fifth placed Manchester United – the minimum finish required to reach next year’s Champions League, if Man City’s Euro ban is confirmed.