Tottenham's Dele Alli idolises Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard for West Ham FA Cup final goal

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Tom Doyle2 March 2016

Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli says the only player who could make him "star-struck" is Steven Gerrard, singling out the former Liverpool captain's goal in the 2006 FA Cup final goal to deny West Ham the trophy as his standout memory.

West Ham led Liverpool 3-2 in the 2006 final at Wembley in injury time, but Gerrard struck a memorable long-range effort to force extra time and help Liverpool eventually win 3-1 on penalties.

Alli has been one of Spurs' standout players in their Premier League title challenge this season, having won praise for his confident attitude and combative nature on the pitch when facing more experienced rivals.

Despite his fearless approach so far, the 19-year-old says Gerrard - now at LA Galaxy in MLS - is the one player who would likely leave him lost for words.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Ahead of Spurs' trip to face West Ham at the Boleyn Ground on Wednesday, Alli told FourFourTwo: "Steven Gerrard was someone I looked up to massively.

"I'd always try to copy him, right down to the boots he was wearing. It was his attitude on the pitch that stood out - you could really see how much he hated losing.

"The moment that stands out is the goal against West Ham in the FA Cup final. It was a great moment in a huge game, and a great finish too.

"It's one of the first goals I remember seeing.

(Stu Forster/Getty Images)

"I had a picture with him when I was younger, but I've never spoken to him. I think he'd probably be the only person that would make me a bit star-struck!"

Tottenham could go top of the league if they beat West Ham at the Boleyn Ground on Wednesday, though Alli faces a fitness test for the match.

Gerrard said earlier this season that he was disappointed Liverpool missed out on signing Alli before Spurs landed the youngsters from MK Dons.

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