'If you want to be a man, step up now!' - Dejan Kulusevski fires savage warning to Tottenham team-mates over big-game embarrassments

Tottenham's results have been erratic in December, including a 4-3 loss to Chelsea, a 4-3 win against Manchester United and then, most recently, a 6-3 defeat against Premier League leaders Liverpool. Spurs' wild performances have sparked intense criticism of the players as well as head coach Ange Postecoglou, with pundits calling for the Australian boss to adjust to matches by switching up his tactics.

Despite going 5-1 down by the hour mark in Sunday's home match against Arne Slot's team, the north London side pulled another two goals back and looked in with a slight chance of causing further problems until Luis Diaz killed the game off in the 85th minute. Swedish attacker Kulusevski, who scored his team's second goal, believed his side could have pulled off a sensational comeback, but he insists his team must give it their all when they are struggling in big games.

"I said to myself [at 5-1]: 'If you want to play, play now’' It’s easy to play when you’re winning. It’s easy to play when everything is going good. If you want to be a man, step up now and do your best. And that’s what we did," he said. "Honestly, at 5-3, I said that we’re going to do it. It was so frustrating to see the ball go in [from Díaz] for 6-3 and after that the game is over. I really thought that it could happen, something special."

He added: "You have to improve, you have to find ways. Maybe we should have let them have the ball more but that’s not how we play. We went out, we gave everything. It didn’t work. Maybe we learn for the next time. Of course, we have to [compromise]. We have to learn because we conceded."

Tottenham are 11th in the Premier League with just won win from their last five matches in the competition. Another tough test awaits them on December 26 as they are away to fourth-placed Nottingham Forest.