Dele Alli says that being hit by a bottle during Wednesday night's EFL Cup clash against Arsenal made his goal and Tottenham's 2-0 win "a little bit sweeter".
Alli was hit on the back of the head by a plastic bottle during his side's win at the Emirates Stadium in the EFL Cup quarter-finals.
The midfielder helped put his team ahead with a superb pass for scorer Heung-min Son in the first half, then netted a beautiful goal of his own, running in and calmly chipping the ball over Arsenal keeper Petr Cech.
Minutes later Alli was hit on the head as Arsenal were about to take a throw-in. The player, who did not appear hurt, turned to the crowd and used his hands to gesture the "2-0" scoreline to them.
When asked about the incident which saw an object thrown at him from the crowd, Alli told Sky Sports: "It is what it is. It made the goal a little bit sweeter and the win."
On the game, the Tottenham goalscorer said: "I think when we came here last time we didn't get the result we wanted so we knew how important it was today. It was a big test for us and I think it was a strong performance from us."
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said he expected Arsenal to deal with the offending fan.
"Luckily, it wasn't a big issue," he told reporters. "When we play the derby we hate each other, in a good way, but that was in a bad way when you want to damage someone.
"I can't talk in general because I respect Arsenal fans but one person made a stupid mistake. But I expect Arsenal take some responsibility and through the cameras can identify.
"It wasn't a problem but could have been a big issue."
A Tottenham fan was fined and banned for throwing a banana skin towards Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when the sides met in the Premier League just over two weeks ago.
Additional reporting by Reuters and the Press Association.
