Tottenham Hotspur emerged victorious with a 3-1 home win against Nottingham Forest.

An own goal from Murillo early in the contest gave Tottenham the lead, but it was shortly cancelled out through a Chris Wood equaliser. However, Spurs rallied with a dominant second-half performance, securing goals from defenders Micky Van de Ven and Pedro Porro.

The Lillywhites now sit in the top four with a game in hand over Aston Villa in fifth place, who dropped points at home to Brentford on Saturday. 

However, Ange Postecoglou believes that focusing solely on the top four isn't the club's final aim for the season, stating that his side is in “good shape to finish the season strong.”

  • Delight For Defenders 

It's no secret that Ange Postecoglou's full-backs have the entitlement to push forward and contribute in attack, so it comes as no surprise that Pedro Porro was among the scorers. The Spaniards goal marks his eighth goal contribution this campaign.

The Spurs boss admitted that he "loves defenders scoring," with his side making a conscious effort to push defenders into areas they can net from. 

Micky Van De Ven was also on the scoresheet, marking his second goal this season. Not only that, but he was once again a standout performer, earning him the Sky Sports' Man of the Match award.

Ange Postecoglou was full of praise for his Dutch defender.

"He has the sheer desire to be the best he can be. He has got so many great qualities. People talk about his speed, but he is strong and he is getting better and better on the ball," he said. 

"His defensive work was outstanding today and it was a great strike for the goal. It was a well-worked set piece. It's a credit to him. We're not going to be the ones who put any limits on his growth and I don't think he'll allow us to do that"

  • Finishing Strongly

The expectation upon Tottenham this season was to secure Champions League football. Currently, the North London club find themselves in a tight race for the fourth place with Aston Villa, as both clubs sit on 60 points.

With a game in hand on Villa, it's a massive chance for Spurs to pull away and perhaps alleviate some of the pressure on the remaining fixtures. However, Ange Postecoglou isn't fixated on a top-four finish and believes his side is capable of more.

"Everyone has been banging on about us getting fourth. We are fourth now, but it doesn't stop. We will keep going.

"I Couldn't care less about the race for fourth, mate. What I care about is the way the team is progressing. I'm pleased with today. It had a little bit of everything. We started the game well, not just the goal, I thought we controlled the game well."

Tottenham now face a very difficult run-in with Newcastle up next, followed by a North London derby against table-toppers Arsenal. It's crunch time for the Lilywhites as they'll look to pull away from Aston Villa to secure Champions League football next season.