Ange Postecoglou hails 'brilliant' Tottenham quartet after crucial Europa League win at Hoffenheim | OneFootball

One more win will seal automatic progress for Spurs in Europe

Ange Postecoglou praised his senior players, including goal-scorers Heung-min Son and James Maddison, as Tottenham took an important step towards the Europa League knockouts with a 3-2 win over Hoffenheim in Germany.

Spurs will finish in the top eight of the league phase if they beat Swedish club IF Elfsborg at home next Thursday after Maddison's goal and a double from Son earned them a hard-fought but nervy win over the Bundesliga strugglers.

Postecoglou was missing no fewer than 14 players on the night, including 10 through injury, and Spurs finished the game with five teenagers on the pitch, including debutant Callum Olusesi.

Maddison broke the deadlock inside four minutes and Son scored either side of Antonin Stach's strike, only David Mokba to head home late on and set up a nervy finale.

“Sonny was brilliant, I thought the senior boys today, Benny [Ben Davies], Madders, Rodri [Rodrigo Bentancur], Sonny, they all really stood up,” Postecoglou told TNT Sports.

“We needed them to. Playing away in Europe, such a young team, inexperienced team, you need your leaders to stand up and they did tonight.

“We wanted to be a bit more aggressive and I think that's when Madders is at his best. In the context of the game, we knew if we could score early and put some pressure on them, it would allow us to get a real good foothold in the game. He was good all night, he got a bit tired in the second half but he caused them in the second half.

James Maddison opened the scoring for Tottenham in Germany

REUTERS

“It's not easy to win away in Europe. credit to the boys, I thought outstanding first half, 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 buffer. We had the schoolboys out there at the end and it was a great victory.”

If Spurs finish in the top eight of the Europa League table, they will avoid a two-legged play-offs for the knockouts next month, and Postecoglou says a rare pair of mid-weeks without a fixture was a huge incentive for his depleted squad.

“I just told them to enjoy it," he said. "Irrespective of the situation we're in, winning away in Europe is a significant victory for us, gives us a great foothold in getting into those top eight spots which will give us a week off, which is almost as good as getting through," he said.

“They enjoyed tonight, we recover and get ready for Sunday.

“We've got a home game [against Elfsborg], it's a great position to be in. We want to finish top eight, it gives us an extra week of respite from the schedule we've had, we're probably going to need it.”