Mauricio Pochettino felt a tactical change he made against Borussia Dortmund made all the difference in Tottenham’s Champions League triumph.
Harry Kane’s goal gave Spurs a 1-0 victory in Germany and took them through to the quarter-finals 4-0 on aggregate.
Trailing 3-0 from the first leg, Dortmund inevitably threw everything at the visitors and there were some anxious moments in the first half for Pochettino’s side.
The Spurs boss responded by switching Son Heung-min and Christian Eriksen – and the change had the desired effect as the London team stemmed the flow.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Pochettino explained: “After 15 or 20 minutes minutes we changed the positions of Son and Christian Eriksen to try to provide the team on the pitch with more solutions and try to help.
“I think that worked well. We didn’t concede and I think the team always felt comfortable on the pitch.”
There might have been a way back for Dortmund had they got the first-half goal they wanted, but there was no prospect of a comeback once Kane netted.
Pochettino declared: “I am more than proud. I feel very happy, first of all for our players. We were playing with a massive disadvantage with the first leg at Wembley and tonight it was a fantastic effort. And of course I am very proud for the fans and for the club.
“If you analyse the two legs, I think we fully deserved it. We scored four goals, we didn’t concede, and this was against a team that is top of the Bundesliga – a great team with great players.”