Mauricio Pochettino said Chelsea’s victory at Tottenham on Monday proved he has matured as a manager in the years since his first spell in England. A frenetic 4-1 win in north London came amid two red cards for the hosts as emotions threatened to spill over in a manner reminiscent of the so-called ‘Battle of Stamford Bridge’, when Pochettino’s Spurs lost their discipline and a two-goal lead to concede the 2015-16 Premier League title. After that game, which confirmed Leicester as champions, Pochettino was criticised for allowing his players to lose control of the match and let slip the chance of claiming a first league title since 1961. Yet on Monday it was his former side whose discipline failed them, with Spurs losing Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie either side of half-time before Chelsea capitalised with a late hat-trick from striker Nicolas Jackson to seal a third straight away win in the league. Pochettino has previously said he believes he is calmer now than when he was appointed at Southampton in 2013, and that composure was evident amongst his players as they kept their heads on a wild night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. “I learned a lot from the ‘Battle of the Bridge’ seven years ago,” he said ahead of his side’s home meeting with Manchester City on Sunday. “I got criticised a lot after this game. Too many people said it was may fault because I didn’t give or teach the players how to behave and to control emotion in a game like this. I learned a lot. “What I can say is the type of game (on Monday) is about tactics, it’s about form, it’s about the approach of the game and how you prepare. Also, it’s about how you control emotions. “One thing we can say my players managed really well is the control of emotions. We played 10-12 minutes not in a good way, not how we wanted. When we conceded the goal it was a big hit for us, we were in shock. “After this moment we started to control the game. At 11 v 11 we created chances, had a goal disallowed. Then we forced them to make mistakes. We played 120 minutes. I think we deserved to win. It was crazy but fair.” The game was notable for its total of 21 added minutes after there were nine VAR checks, which led to both red cards being shown as well as a penalty for Chelsea and five disallowed goals. Pochettino defended the role of the video referee and said that Spurs could have no complaints about the result. “Tell me one (VAR) decision that was not fair,” he said. “There was even I think a few decisions more when Tottenham were lucky. You cannot say VAR was (unfair) for us. When you watch the game again, Tottenham were very lucky to finish with only two less than us. “When there is emotion on the pitch, it’s difficult to control from the outside (as a coach). I was guilty seven years ago. But Ange (Postecoglou) wasn’t guilty (on Monday). “I learned. I watched the game again. It’s important to see how the players keep calm in a tough moment and to force (Tottenham) to make a mistake, then to win the game. That was the option.” Chelsea will be looking for their fourth win in six games in the league when they face Pep Guardiola’s champions on Sunday. Pochettino added: “Chelsea are never underdogs. The feeling is always that you are Chelsea. When you say Chelsea, it’s impossible (to feel the underdog). The history is there. We cannot go and say we are the victim of the day. We need to try to be protagonists with our personality, with our character. “We went to Tottenham and finished the game 4-1. It shows that we have character and talent to compete and to fight with the best clubs in England. Now it’s about building that confidence that for sure will help us to be more competitive.” Read More John Stones out of Chelsea clash but injury not as bad as feared Andy Murray and coach Ivan Lendl split for a third time Mikel Arteta warns Aaron Ramsdale not to rush decision over Arsenal future Dawid Malan: I want to play on but I don’t know what my England future holds Evan Ferguson signs new Brighton contract until 2029 Football rumours: Tottenham identify Lloyd Kelly as January transfer target

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League One club Reading have been docked three points after failing to comply with an order designed to protect payments to staff. An independent disciplinary commission had ordered the Royals’ ownership to deposit a sum equal to 125 per cent of the club’s forecast monthly wage bill into a designated account by Tuesday. The commission had imposed the order after determining last month that the club had failed to pay player wages on time and in full on or around October 31 and November 30 last year, and on April 28 this year. As a result of those missed payments, the commission docked Reading one point, with a further three suspended, a sanction which has now been triggered by the failure to deposit the funds requested. An EFL statement said: “The EFL continues to acknowledge the negative impact sporting sanctions are having on the football club and remain extremely disappointed and frustrated at the club’s ownership to meet its ongoing obligations under EFL regulations. The League will continue to apply its rules in all circumstances deemed appropriate.” The club released their own statement confirming the activation of the three-point penalty, which concluded: “As communicated to our supporters previously, Mr Dai (Yongge, the club’s Chinese owner) is currently undertaking an ongoing process of seeking sources of stable external investment for the football club, with the aim of mitigating the risk of cashflow complications arising in future.” The latest points penalty means that the Royals fall to 21st position in the League One table. They have won two of their opening six matches but have now lost four points in total which leaves them in the relegation zone. Disillusioned Royals supporters have set up a fan group to protest the running of the club called Sell Before We Dai. And they issued a statement in response to the latest points deduction. The group’s spokesperson Nick Houlton said: “The hard work by the team and others at the club is being undermined by Dai Yongge’s continued failure to resolve the club’s affairs. Today’s announcement is a kick in the teeth for the team, staff and fans alike. “To breach these conditions immediately indicates serious liquidity issues going forward. We urge Dai to step up his search for a new owner and listen to offers. Only last month, the EFL specifically called out Dai Yongge, saying it was extremely frustrated at the consistent failures under his ownership. “Points deductions and transfer embargoes punish fans, not owners. We urge the EFL to concentrate on personally holding Dai Yongge to account for his continued mismanagement of the club. “As for the new season, we now find ourselves in the relegation zone as a result of one person’s repeated failure to manage the club’s affairs properly.” Read More The ex-Premier League player who has set his sights on conquering Mount Everest Reading fail to pay staff and players full salary due to ‘delay in regular funding’ Reading to go part-time after Women’s Super League relegation Harry Maguire’s mother hits out at ‘disgraceful’ criticism of England defender Man Utd punish Jadon Sancho over Erik ten Hag comments Jenni Hermoso among three Spain World Cup winners shortlisted for top FIFA award

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The International Monetary Fund and World Bank are holding their annual meeting in Morocco, one month after an earthquake killed nearly 3,000 people in the North African country