Pochettino urges Spurs to carry fight to the bitter end

(Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur must learn from last season's poor late form as they attempt to chase down Premier League leaders Chelsea in the closing weeks of the campaign, manager Mauricio Pochettino has said.

Last season, Spurs won just four of their final nine games as Leicester City pulled away to claim the title by 10 points, with Tottenham even getting edged by rivals Arsenal for second place on the final day of the campaign.

With a 2-0 victory at Burnley on Saturday, second-placed Spurs trimmed the lead at the top to seven points after Chelsea's 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace and Pochettino expects his side to keep up the pressure on the leaders.

"Always I tell the players, 'we must show we have learned from last season', that we are clever, intelligent people," Pochettino told the British media.

"It was a tough experience in the end but it is a thing that, for us, we need to think about every time and now give our best, keep our position and fight.

"I think reducing three points to Chelsea was an important thing for us."

The Turf Moor win was a fourth league triumph in a row for Spurs and their second straight without striker Harry Kane.

With an FA Cup semi-final to play against Chelsea on April 22, Pochettino is pleased with the squad's collective effort.

"We are in the FA Cup semi-final and second on the table, and I think a better position is impossible," the 45-year-old Argentinean added.

"(Winning without Harry) is a good thing, it is important because football is a qualitative matter."

The North London club visit 17th-placed Swansea City in the league on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru)