To complete a tale of two second-halves, Spurs returned to action on Saturday with a stirring comeback triumph, coming from a goal down to destroy West Ham 4-1 with a blistering display after the break in which they scored three goals in eight minutes.Â
It could not have been more different from their previous 45 minutes of action against Brighton a fortnight earlier when, two goals up, they capitulated so feebly to lose 3-2 after the break that Postecoglou sounded more hurt and frustrated than at any time during his Spurs reign.
Son Heung-Min (L) celebrates his goal with happy Spurs fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (AP PHOTO)
So no wonder the victory over one of Spurs' traditional city rivals was greeted with such delight by their Australian boss, who saluted the Tottenham faithful for their own raucous response to the Brighton setback.
"It's important for our fans, for sure, because these are the games they want to feel good about and win," said Postecoglou.
"Personally, for me any game we win I get equal joy out of. Part of the momentum we built in the second half came through the edge the supporters gave us, especially after the second goal.
"We need the supporters, especially at home to provide but to be able to provide we need to give them something in return. Today is hopefully a little bit of a reward for our fans."
Victory was also somewhat of a tactical triumph for Postecoglou, who made the bold halftime decision, with the scores locked at 1-1, to take off England midfielder James Maddison and replace his key creator with the extra security and dynamism that Pape Sarr offered.
Player of the match, No.21 Dejan Kulusevski, celebrates his first-half goal. (AP PHOTO)
"I just felt West Ham ask you certain questions in midfield areas and that Pape's running power would help us in the second half," Postecoglou noted.
It enabled player of the match, first-half scorer Dejan Kulusevski, to forage further forward and kick-started Spurs back to their very best, with Yves Bissouma, a Jean-Clair Todibo own goal and Son Heung-min then all completing the scoring before the hour mark.
"Second-half, we went up a gear and I thought our football was excellent," said Postecoglou, enjoying Spurs' sixth win in seven matches to push them up to seventh in the table.
