Ange Postecoglou insisted he “couldn’t care less” about Tottenham moving into the top four, despite a crucial win over Nottingham Forest.
Spurs went above Aston Villa and into fourth on goal difference after a 3-1 victory over former boss Nuno Espirito Santo, with another strong second-half showing getting the job done.
An own goal from Murillo gave the home side an early lead, but Chris Wood equalised for Forest and then smacked an effort against the post when he should have put the visitors in front before the break.
It proved a costly moment, as Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro struck in the second-half to earn all three points for Tottenham and put them in pole position to secure Champions League football next season.
Spurs’ game in hand over Villa is against Manchester City, and they also still have to face Arsenal and Liverpool. While it was essential that his side beat Forest and took advantage of Villa’s draw with Brentford on Saturday, Postecoglou had little interest in discussing the wider Premier League implications.
“Couldn't care less about the race for fourth mate,” the Spurs boss responded when asked if his side were now in control of that battle..
“What I care about is the way the team is progressing. 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.
“Then we conceded from a counter attack which was obviously disappointing. I thought we lost our way a little bit towards the back end of that first half, but a super reaction and the whole second half we were really dominant.”
Postecoglou made two half-time changes, as Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg were brought on to replace Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma in midfield.
It proved to be a fruitful use of his squad, with Bentancur providing the assist for Porro’s goal and the midfield duo providing Spurs with much more control, after the hosts had looked flat in the final 20 minutes of the first-half.
“Yes it made a difference,” Postecoglou said of his half-time changes.
“It wasn't anything Biss or Pape did. I just thought, I have the luxury of a strong squad now which I didn't for the middle part of the year and I thought we needed some energy and legs in the midfield for the second half because I could see Forest were working really hard to maintain their grip on the game.
“I thought Pierre and Roddy were outstanding in the energy they brought and the quality they brought in the second half.”
