Tottenham set up a Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt with a 3-1 win over AZ Alkmaar in their last-16 decider in north London.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Wilson Odobert scored either side of a James Maddison strike to earn Ange Postecoglou's side a deserved 3-2 victory on aggregate.
Peer Koopmeiners netted for the visitors, briefly levelling the tie on the night, but Spurs rallied to remain in with a chance of winning a first trophy since 2008.
Here are three Spurs talking points from the match…
Is Ange-ball back?
A huge victory not only keeps Spurs’ season alive but should restore some confidence in Postecoglou’s project.
If Spurs had crashed out against the Dutch club, it would have been increasingly difficult to imagine the Australian continuing in the job before the end of the season – even if the head coach understandably reacted tetchily to suggestions his job was on the line before the match.
But the manner of his side’s performance was much more in keeping with Postecoglou’s principles and their winning goal – an outstanding, flowing move from back to front, finished by Odobert at the far post – was one of the best examples of Ange-ball we have seen all season.
Spurs were not perfect, and they finished the game nervily, but they were much improved, pressing from the front, passing through the lines and linking up cleverly in the final third.
You could see the confidence flowing back into the players after Maddison made it 2-0 with a smart finish and they showed character to restore their aggregate lead after Koopmeiners capitalised on an unfortunate mix up between Lucas Bergvall and Odobert to briefly level the tie.
Postecoglou can now look ahead with optimism, with another month to fine-tune his squad for the quarter-final against Frankfurt and fresh belief in his football from supporters and the players.
Odobert and Bergvall come of age
For most of this season, Archie Gray has been Tottenham’s standout teenage signing of the summer but this was a night when Odobert and Bergvall made their own cases.
It was hugely unfortunate that the pair’s mix up led to AZ’s goal because they were both outstanding, justifying Postecoglou’s decision to pick them in the XI ahead of more experienced options for such a big game.
Odobert was thrust forward by his team-mates to soak up the applause from the South Stand after the game and the young Frenchman, 20, deserved the accolades.
He took both his goals well, popping up at the back post – as Brennan Johnson has so often done for Postecoglou’s Spurs – to finish after great work on both occasions by Dominic Solanke.
But unlikely Johnson, Odobert has superb technical quality and enjoys driving at opponents with the ball.
The same is true of Bergvall, who was eye-catching in the ‘single pivot’ at the base of midfield, carrying the ball forward bravely and snapping into a succession of important tackes.
The Swede is just 20 and will make mistakes – as tonight illustrated – but he appears a much better bet for the role than the out-of-form Yves Bissouma or Rodrigo Bentancur, who was suspended here.
Concerningly, he was forced off in the 84th minute clutching his hamstring; Postecoglou will hope it is not serious.
Bergvall has impressed before but this felt like the night that both he and Odobert really announced themselves as key members of this Spurs team.
Van de Ven return crucial
A big word, too, for Micky van de Ven, who appeared to come through his first start since December 8 unscathed and was imperious for an hour at centre-half.
It did not feel like a coincidence that AZ scored within three minutes of the Dutchman being taken off – to preserve his hamstring – for Gray.
After Postecoglou complained of his side’s lack of intensity in the first leg, van de Ven and Cristian Romero helped Spurs to set the tone from the off, stepping off of defence aggressive and mopping up any hint of AZ pressure.
Van de Ven’s pace was particularly important in sweeping up behind the hosts’ high line and against AZ’s speedy danger-man Ernest Poku.
With Kevin Danso facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury and Radu Dragusin already ruled out for the season, it feels like no exaggeration to say that Spurs’ hopes in this competition likely rest of Van de Ven and Romero remaining fit.
