LONDON -- Ange Postecoglou has branded his team's 3-0 win over Elfsborg as a night "made in Tottenham" after Tottenham Hotspur's young stars inspired the team to a vital 3-0 win in the Europa League on Thursday.
Goals from Dane Scarlett (20), Damola Ajeyi (19) and Mikey Moore (17) ensured Spurs finished fourth in the Europa League league phase and qualified for the round of 16, avoiding a dreaded two-legged playoff tie in February that would have placed greater strain on the club's ongoing injury crisis.
Two more teenagers -- Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall -- played 90 minutes in the win in north London as the absences of key first-team players including Christian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke forced Postecoglou to turn to the club's academy in search of fresh legs for his team.
Asked about the impact of Spurs' youngsters, Postecoglou said: "Yeah, I've just said it's 'made in Tottenham' tonight. Brilliant for the club. I'm sure there's academy coaches and players who won't sleep tonight, [and are] pretty excited.
"We've obviously got a big week coming up and we've got to try and manage a load of our players and try and protect them and we kind of knew we'd have to rely on some young players tonight. We have all the way through to be honest, this campaign, and I thought they stood up really well.
"The whole group played well but obviously like I said, we were going to need some young boys to make an impact and not just the three goal scorers. We still had a couple of 18-year-olds in there as well who continue to drive us on. So it is a great night for the club and something that the whole academy should be proud of."
Postecoglou confirmed Spurs' intention to keep Scarlett at the club for the remainder of the season after he was recalled from his loan at Championship side Oxford United earlier this month and hailed Moore as an "outstanding talent."
Moore's strike in second-half stoppage time meant he became the youngest Englishman to score in a major European competition (17 years, 172 days), breaking a record held by Spurs legend Jimmy Greaves since 1957 (17 years, 245 days).
The under-pressure Australian coach was boosted for Thursday's match by the highly anticipated return of centre-back Micky van de Ven who was outstanding in the first 45 minutes before being substituted at halftime to manage his game time.
However, his replacement at the back, Radu Dragusin, suffered a worrying-looking knee injury that forced him off in the 66th minute, raising the prospect that Postecoglou could use even more academy players to cover for the injured senior players.
"I don't even know if we've got any more, mate," Postecoglou joked.
"I don't know of many teams that are finishing European games like us with five or six teenagers on the field. It's a challenge for us, but credit to the lads, they're just cracking on with it.
"The young boys are taking their opportunity and as I said, that'll all bear fruit in time for sure. This exposure we've given them, the growth they've had, the impact they've made.
"I'm sure they'll all kind of be encouraged and I think the rest of the academy will too, the young players in there, because they're seeing the guys who they've been sharing a dressing room with out there scoring for Tottenham on a European night. I'm sure it's going to give a boost to the whole place."
Postecoglou's options could be enhanced by the potential arrival of Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich with sources telling ESPN the two clubs have agreed a deal for the 19-year-old. However, Postecoglou refused to be drawn on the prospect of Tel's arrival.
"I can't tell you anything about Tel," Postecoglou said. "Like I said, I've kind of been focusing on getting the team prepared tonight. Other people are working in the background. As I said all along, I'm allowing them to get on with it and if there's any news, I'm sure I'll find out."
Spurs will look to turn around their torrid Premier League form when they face Brentford in their next fixture on Sunday.