Mauricio Pochettino was appointed Tottenham manager on 27 May 2014, on a five-year contract. In his first season Spurs finished fifth in the 2014–15 Premier League with 64 points, and were runners-up in the 2015 Football League Cup Final. Pochettino chose to promote young players, and in his second season in charge, Spurs had the youngest team in the Premier League. A new generation of players that included Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Eric Dier were all aged 22 or younger that season. Spurs had a much improved 2015–16 season, but their title challenge ended with a 2–2 draw at Stamford Bridge on 2 May 2016, and they finished third behind winners Leicester. The following 2016–17 season began with a series of 12 unbeaten league matches, but the team performed inconsistently during the first half of the season. They put in a much better performance in 2017, including a win in the North London derby that ensured a higher finish in the Premier League than their rivals Arsenal for the first time in 22 years. Their early inconsistency meant that Spurs were unable to overhaul the lead of the eventual champions Chelsea in the league table (13 points over Spurs at one stage in March), and finished the season in second place with 86 points, their highest ever points tally since the Premier League began. This is their highest ranking in 54 years since the 1962–63 season under Bill Nicholson, and the team also achieved their first unbeaten home run in 52 years since the 1964–65 season.