Tottenham Hotspur reach semi-finals of Europa League with stirring win to ease pressure on Ange Postecoglou

Ange Postecoglou delivered one of the most stirring victories of his career as Tottenham surged into the semi-finals of the Europa League - before the embattled coach took a shot at the media.

Ange Postecoglou has laid the boot into the critics calling for him to be sacked after masterminding Tottenham’s most important win since he took over as manager.

The former Socceroos coach is under intense pressure to keep his job after a disappointing second season in the English Premier League. but he’s still hanging in there after Spurs made it through to the semi-finals of the prestigious Europa League.

Needing to win away from home after drawing the first leg with Eintracht Frankfurt in north London, Spurs advanced to the last four with a hard fought 1-0 victory, courtesy of a first half penalty from Dominic Solanke.

Under siege from the ruthless British press, Postecoglou couldn’t resist firing back at the media after his team’s brave win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

“Unfortunately for a lot of you, you’re going to have to put up with me for a little bit longer. So let’s see how that goes,” Postecoglou said.

Dominic Solanke celebrates scoring the decisive goal. Picture: Getty

“I think I said yesterday, I am the same manager today that I was yesterday, so if people think us winning tonight makes me a better manager or whoever thinks I wasn’t doing a good job yesterday, should be feeling the same way

“I don’t care, it doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t affect what I do. For me, it’s always about the dressing room. Do the players believe? Do the staff believe? That’s much more important than what others may make of me.”

Tottenham will now play Bodo Glimt after the Norwegian stunned the top seeds Lazio on penalties.

On the other side of the draw, Manchester United pulled off a miracle comeback to set up a semi-final with Spain’s Athletic.

Tottenham players react after the fulltime whistle. Picture: Getty

The eventual winner will earn an automatic place in next season’s UEFA Champions League, which is the dream ending Postecoglou is clinging to.

Under pressure to help Spurs win their first trophy in 16 seasons, Postecoglou already put his neck on the line at the start of the latest campaign when he boasted that he’s “always winning something” in his second season.

Since then, Spurs have fallen to 15th in the Premier League after crashing out in the knockout phases of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

With speculation mounting he will get axed if he doesn’t claim some silverware, the Europa League represents his last chance after Spurs crashed out of the FA and Carabao Cups.

He keeps getting grilled about his comment of winning a trophy in his second season but wasn’t biting after the latest win, saying: “I will leave that. People like to mock and ridicule. They diminish my achievements, I will keep doing what I do.

“We are in the final four. Semi-final of a European competition. We are not often there.”

The victory advances Tottenham to the semi-finals of the Europa League. Picture: AFP

Instead of taking the bait, Postecoglou diverted the spotlight to his players, saying they had stuck together and never gave up hope of doing something special this season.

“What’s more important is the belief the team has had because after a season like ours, it would be very easy for the players and staff, they could have left me in a pretty vulnerable place in terms of them splintering, but I’ve never felt that, even with all the noise around our season.

“They’ve been so united in believing in what we’re trying to achieve here and that is what gave me heart all along that if we got our own slice of luck in terms of getting some players back that I really believed this team could achieve.

‘That is what keeps driving me. It isn’t so much my belief in them, it’s their belief in what we’re doing and both players and staff have been outstanding. I am the front man for it but they take responsibility for it as well and all my decisions and everything I do, but not at any stage have I felt they lost any belief in me or what we’re doing.

‘That is crucial when you’re having a difficult season, but there is also a season of opportunity there.”

Like Tottenham, Manchester United are also struggling this season but stayed alive with an extraordinary 7-6 aggregate win over Lyon at Old Trafford.

Forced into extra time after the first and second legs both ended 2-2, United fell two goals behind with just seven minutes of extra time to go before unleashing three rapid goals to win at the death.

“I felt that here everything is possible,” United boss Ruben Amorim said.

“One moment can change a lot of things in the players’ minds.”

Originally published as Tottenham Hotspur reach semi-finals of Europa League with stirring win to ease pressure on Ange Postecoglou