Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou hailed an "outstanding" display from his midfielders following their 1-1 draw against West Ham United on Tuesday.
With a prized place in the top four of the Premier League to compete for, Spurs were eager to get revenge on their London rivals West Ham, who defeated them 2-1 on North London soil.
Despite only scoring 23 of their 62 goals in the first half of games, the Lilywhites were quick to burst the Hammers' bubbles after breaking the deadlock inside the first five minutes.
Welsh winger Brennan Johnson placed himself in a perfect position in the box to combine with Timo Werner and fire home the opener at the London Stadium.
This spurred his teammates to control possession and dictate the tempo of the game as they searched for a second.
However, Tottenham's lead was very short-lived as their set-piece woes continued after centre-back Kurt Zouma was left unmarked in the box before heading the hosts level on terms, sending the home fans into a frenzy.
Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario bailed out his teammate Rodrigo Bentancur after the midfielder gifted the ball away on the edge of the box, leading to his teammate pulling off a crucial save to keep their side level.
Michail Antonio had the best chance of the game to provide the Hammers with all three points in East London on Tuesday evening.
He was away on a blistering counterattack but then was caught up by rapid Dutch defender Micky Van de Den, however, he was unable stop the run as he slipped over, allowing Antonio to face Vicario in a one-on-one.
However, the striker's shot was low, powerless, and down the face of the goalkeeper, who had no trouble saving the effort.
Despite his team only coming away from Stratford with a point, Postecoglou was satisfied with his side's performance against a "big strong team".
He commented: "It's a tough place to come and they're a big strong team, they sit deep and make it difficult for you.
"You know you're going to have to be fairly calm in your approach and also really disciplined because they're always a threat on the counter attack.
"I thought for the most part we handled that really well."
He added: "Obviously you want to win games of football, that's the ultimate measure, but there was enough there tonight for me to say that's a team still heading in the right direction."
Postecoglou defends Bissouma
Postecoglou was eager to express his delight for his midfield's performance, especially Yves Bissouma.
Bissouma has experienced a difficult time on the pitch in recent months after fans have been growing increasingly frustrated with the midfielder after underwhelming performances.
The Mali International started the season with fine form as he etched his name onto the starting team sheet week in and week out after struggling for consistent game-time last season.
However, the midfielder has struggled to impress on the pitch since the 1-0 win at Kenilworth Road against Luton Town, when he picked up a very silly red card and suspension.
On Tuesday night, the midfielder showcased his excellence in a dominating display as a defensive midfielder, which was recognised by his manager.
Postecoglou claimed: "I thought Bissouma was outstanding tonight."
He added: "Look at their front four and they'll cause any team problems. I thought there was a better structural maturity in our game tonight than say against Fulham so for me that's progress."
The Australian was also delighted by James Maddison's performance, despite, taking him off during the game with his side still hunting for a winner.
"I thought Maddison was really good, especially when he got in their final third," Postecoglou said.
He explained: "I thought he played some really clever passes that we just didn't capitalise on.
"I think for all the guys in the front third area - not just the attacking players, the full-backs as well, we got into some really good areas, it's just about trying to show them that they don't need to be so rushed in their decision making and we'll get better outcomes."
Overall the Spurs boss was happy with the effort he saw from his players agaisnt a tough team on the road, but has reinstated that there is still a lot of work needed to develop his team.
The Spurs boss said: "I thought our general play was really good and I was really happy with it.
"I thought tonight in a really difficult game against a difficult opponent, we showed some real maturity in the way we played our football, but we're not the finished product. We know that and we'll keep working on it."
The draw saw the Lilywhites miss out on the chance to jump into fourth place.