Mousa Dembele hopes 'deserved' Tottenham defeat provides wake-up call that Spurs need to stop poor form

The midfielder believes Gent were worthy of a 1-0 victory because 'they were much sharper than us'

Mousa Dembele believes Tottenham were not good enough to warrant victory in their first leg against Gent (Getty)

Mousa Dembele admitted that Tottenham Hotspur underestimated KAA Gent as they crashed to a 1-0 defeat in Belgium last night. Spurs lost their second game in five days and could not match their hosts' superior intensity or drive.

This means that Spurs have to win at Wembley on Thursday, and Dembele said that he hoped this surprise defeat would be a wake-up call to his struggling side.

“We knew it wouldn’t be an easy game, they were much sharper than us," Dembele said. "I think the loss was deserved. We haven’t created too many chances, Gent either.

“We started the second half quite good, but then they scored. Generally I think they wanted it more than us, they were sharper, more motivated than us."

Asked whether Spurs had underestimated Gent, Dembele admitted that they had, before saying he hoped that the defeat would give Spurs the sharp lift that they clearly need.

"Everything is possible'" Dembele said. "I hope this game has opened our eyes. I hope we show the double our attitude next week. And that we really want it.”