Tottenham bowed out of the Champions League in the round of 16 with their heads held high following a 7-5 loss on aggregate to Atletico Madrid after a spirited 3-2 win at home in the second leg.
Igor Tudor's side faced an uphill battle following a humiliating 5-2 loss at the Estadio Metropolitano in the first leg but hopes of a comeback were sparked when Randal Kolo Muani capitalised on Spurs' strong start to head them into an early lead.
Julian Alvarez's equaliser dampened a crackling atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but a quickfire response from Xavi Simons, curling his effort in five minutes after his team conceded, restored belief for the home side once more.
Atletico goalkeeper Julian Musso was called upon a total of eight times to keep Spurs at bay as they pushed to reduce the deficit, until a glancing header from David Hancko sealed Spurs' fate.
Xavi would go on to double his tally with a late penalty to secure the win on the evening, Tudor's first as head coach of the club, but a chaotic first 20 minutes in the first leg ultimately left them with too much to do.
The performance, albeit short of what the club needed to progress into a quarter-final tie against Barcelona, is one Spurs can take confidence from.
Despite injury concerns mounting, a relegation battle bubbling away in the background and noise surrounding Tudor's future at the club ever present, the home side threatened, competed and entertained from the first whistle.
"A step in the right direction," was how Tudor described the point at Anfield on Sunday in his programme notes. Wednesday night was another one for his side.
Spurs will now be tasked with taking the same traits into Sunday's game against Nottingham Forest, who sit one point below them in the Premier League, in what could prove to be a decisive fixture in the race for survival in the top flight.
Tottenham boss Igor Tudor speaking to TNT Sports:
"The feelings are mixed of course. We are out, but it is a sensation of a very good team on the pitch. One very good performance from a lot of players.
"It was really nice that the fans recognised that the team did everything they could do. They were with us from the start and I thank them for that. It is a good direction as a team but we need to continue.
"It was important [to get the winning feeling back]. That is why I was angry about the counter-attack in the last minute. I understand the players, they wanted to score a goal.
"It was nice to at least take the victory."
Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario speaking to TNT Sports:
"We fought hard. We did a lot of running - l think we are in a better physical place, we kept running until the last second.
"We need to show everything we can in the next game.
"Tonight was a game of moments. We were close to going over the edge. We had situations in the first half and we could have gone into the break 2-0.
"There are a lot of positives to take from every aspect and everyone. We showed what we need to show in every game.
"It gives us a lot of confidence and we are proud of what we did."
Your Site' Patrick Rowe:
Tudor described Sunday's 1-1 draw against Liverpool as a step in the right direction - and so was this game
A first win since January and a first win for the head coach since being appointed as Thomas Frank's successor.
Yes, it was not enough to overcome the disaster that was the first leg but this was the exact performance Spurs needed ahead of Sunday's game against Nottingham Forest.
A spirited and attacking performance with the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium bubbling from minute one.
Play like that on Sunday with the home crowd on their side, alongside the returns of Lucas Bergvall, Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero, and Spurs will give themselves every chance of securing a crucial win in the fight for survival.
It was not enough against Atletico but that performance could have a major influence on where this team finishes up come the end of the season.
