Postecoglou salutes the senior players after Tottenham’s comeback win

Ange Postecoglou hailed the contributions of his experienced players after Tottenham secured a crucial 3-2 win over Hoffenheim in the Europa League.

The result moves Spurs closer to a place in the knockout stages, with progression assured if they beat Elfsborg at home next Thursday.

Despite dealing with a heavily depleted squad, which sees 14 players unavailable, including 10 through injury, Postecoglou’s side managed victory in Germany.

The game ended with five teenagers on the field for Spurs, including debutant Callum Olusesi.

Tottenham got off to a flying start with Maddison finding the back of the net just four minutes later. Son added two more goals, one in each half, saving a shot from Hoffenheim’s Antonin Stach.

Late drama ensued when David Mokba headed home for the hosts, but Spurs held firm to claim all three points.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Postecoglou praised the leadership of his senior players, saying: “Sonny was brilliant. I thought the senior boys today – Benny (Ben Davies), Madders, Rodri (Rodrigo Bentancur), Sonny, they all got up.

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“We needed them. Playing outside of Europe, with such a young and inexperienced team, you need your leaders to step up, and they did that tonight.

“We wanted to be a little more aggressive, and I think that’s when Madders are at their best. In the context of the game, we knew if we could score early and put pressure on them, it would give us a good grip on the game. He was good all night, got a little tired in the second half, but caused them problems all game.

“It is not easy to win in Europe. Credit to the boys, I thought we were excellent in the first half, we played really well. We looked a bit tired in the second half but we hung on and Sonny scored a great goal to give us that extra cushion. In the end we had the schoolboys out, and it was a great win.”

A top-eight finish in the Europa League standings would allow Spurs to avoid the knockout play-offs, avoiding two extra games in an already packed schedule.

For Postecoglou, the chance to get a midweek break is a major motivator for his injury squad.

“I just told them to enjoy it,” Postecoglou added. “Regardless of the situation we are in, winning in Europe is an important victory for us. It gives us a good base to get into those top eight spots, which will give us a week off, which is about as good as it gets.

“We have a game at home (against Elfsborg) and it’s a good position to be in. We want to finish top eight, it gives us another week of respite from the schedule we’ve had, and we’re probably going to need it.”