Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is happy for his side to be given a title contenders tag after they reduced the gap at the top of the Premier League to nine points.

Spurs move three points clear of Arsenal in third as they consolidated second place in the table with a 1-0 win over a spirited Middlesbrough side at White Hart Lane.

Pochettino said his side can cope with the pressure of being billed as challengers for the title, as the win kept them in touch with leaders Chelsea.

He said: “It is good to put the standard higher, I am happy to put pressure on us, to say we are contenders and we are a team ready to win the title.

“If you want to put us on that level it is good, I manage with the pressure very well.

“In football you do not know, I think the feeling would be different now for us [if Tottenham had not won], it would have been two points less today.

“Nine points is okay, it is three games. It is up to Chelsea, but is also up to us to keep pushing to keep the pressure and win games, that is important for us and the Premier League.”

Spurs dominated their opponents throughout the game, boasting almost 70 per cent of the possession and spending much of the game camped on the edge of the Boro box.

However, the visitors were able to keep them at bay for almost an hour, before Harry Kane converted a penalty won when Bernardo brought down Heung-Min Son.

Spurs remain in second position in the Premier League, moving three points clear of Arsenal in third after the Gunners were beaten by Chelsea in the day’s early kick-off.

However, Tottenham remain nine points adrift of the Blues, who have opened up a healthy gap at the top of the table in recent weeks.

Pochettino’s team now face a potentially season-defining clash with Liverpool at Anfield next Saturday, before the first leg of their Europa League tie with Gent five days later.