White hot: Dembele is one of four Belgian stars at White Hart Lane

Carragher compares Tottenham 28-year-old to three Premier League greats

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Published on:

02 Apr 2016, 9:20 pm

By London correspondent Tony Hughes

Jamie Carragher compared Mousa Dembele to Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit after his midfield masterclass against Liverpool.

The Sky Sports pundit hailed Dembele as the best player on the pitch after his authoritative display in Spurs' 1-1 Premier League draw at Anfield on Saturday night.

It was the latest in a series of fine displays by the Belgian, who has taken his game to a new level under Mauricio Pochettino this season.

Carragher says it is time to hail Dembele as a central midfielder on a par with some of the finest of the Premier League era.

"If you think about dominant left-footed midfielders, the one he reminds you of is Emmanuel Petit," Carragher told Sky Sports' Saturday Night Football programme after the match. "Dembele is not like Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard, who create and score goals.

"But there are similarities with Petit, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira in the way he breaks up the play and drives his team forward. You just can't get him off the ball, he's that strong."

Dembele has been an integral player in Spurs' against-the-odds title challenge, starting 22 of their 31 matches and scoring three goals.

In other Tottenham news, Steven Gerrard has hailed the five qualities of Dele Alli that make the playmaker special.

Tottenham Hotspur

Liverpool FC

Moussa Dembele

Jamie Carragher