Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou wants same ‘mentality’ when Spurs face AZ Alkmaar

As well as having the positives of a fightback, Postecoglou also had three senior figures back from long-term injury at a crucial point in their campaign.

The Australian has been staunch in defending Tottenham’s below-par performances, which have them 13th in the table, pointing to the fact that he has been working with restricted options.

And the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of injuries is starting to draw ever closer.

Striker Dominic Solanke and defender Cristian Romero were both named in the starting line-up for the first time in a Premier League game since early January.

Centre-back Micky van de Ven, who has also been sidelined for the past two months, was among the substitutes and roared on to the field by Tottenham fans when introduced in the second half.

Solanke has scored 11 goals in 27 appearances since joining from Bournemouth in the summer, but struggled to get up to speed against his former employer.

Romero got an important 61 minutes under his belt but looked rusty, especially in the opening moments when he almost gifted the visitors a goal with an errant pass.

“There is definitely a sense of nervousness there” Postecoglou added.

“We are getting players back who have been out quite a while. We’ve been keen to get [Cristian] Romero back and his first pass shows he’s not played for three months. Some of it is just anxiety and nervousness which we need to get under control.

“I think Micky van de Ven, Dom and Romero are quality players and we’ve hardly had them all year. It gives the team a bit of a boost to see them out there.”