Ange Postecoglou praised the contributions of his experienced players after Tottenham secured a crucial 3-2 win over Hoffenheim in the Europa League.
The result moves Tottenham closer to the knockout stage, with progress guaranteed if they defeat Elfsborg at home next Thursday.
Despite dealing with a severely depleted squad, with 14 players unavailable, including 10 due to injuries, Postecoglou's side managed to cruise to victory in Germany.
The match ended with five teenagers on the pitch for Spurs, including new signing Callum Olusesi.
Tottenham got off to a bright start with Maddison finding the back of the net after just four minutes. Son added two more goals, one in each half, past Hoffenheim's Antonin Stach's shot.
Late drama ensued when David Mokaba headed home for the hosts, but Tottenham held on to take the three points.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Postecoglou praised the leadership of his senior players, saying: “Sonny was fantastic. I thought the older boys today – Benny (Ben Davies), Madras, Rodri (Rodrigo Bentancur), Sonny – they all really stood up.
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“We needed them. When you play away from home in Europe, with a young and 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 Madres are at their best. In the context of the game, we knew that if we could score early and put some pressure on them, it would allow us to get a really good foothold in the game.” He was good all night – he got a little tired in the second half but caused them problems throughout.
“It's not easy to win away from home in Europe. Credit to the boys, I think we were outstanding in the first half, and played really well. We looked a bit tired in the second half, but we held our ground, and Sonny scored a great goal to give us that extra shield. We've got the schoolchildren together. Schools in the end, and that was a great victory.”
Finishing in the top eight of the Europa League standings will allow Tottenham to bypass the qualifying rounds, avoiding two extra games in an already congested schedule.
For Postecoglou, the opportunity to have a rare midweek break is a huge incentive for his injury-hit side.
“I just told them to enjoy it,” Postecoglou added. “No matter what situation we're in, winning away from home in Europe is a huge victory for us. It gives us a big foothold to get into that top eight, which will give us a week off, which is almost as good as getting into the top eight.
“We have a home game (against Elfsborg), which is great to be in. We want to finish in the top eight – it gives us an extra week of rest from the schedule we have, which we probably will need.”
