Tottenham coach: 'Winning Man Utd promotes confidence'

"The performance in the second half will boost the confidence of the players in the upcoming training sessions and matches," Postecoglou said after the game. "Now, my partner and I must continue to encourage and help them play stably on the road ahead, despite the challenges and setbacks, maintaining their bravery, courage and determination."

At home to Tottenham Hotspur on August 19, in the first half, Postecoglou's students controlled 57%, finished seven times with three shots on target, compared to 14 and 3 of the opponent. However, Tottenham had many heart-pounding moments when Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes missed the opportunity to head the empty close-quarters. Alejandro Garnacho hit center back Cristian Romero's hand inside the box, but referee Michael Oliver didn't blow the whistle. It was not until the end of the first half that Tottenham gave an answer with two consecutive situations where the ball hit the crossbar and the post.

It was not until the second half that Tottenham created a breakthrough, scoring two goals from two somewhat staggered situations. In the 49th minute, Dejan Kulusevski crossed the ball past center-back Lisandro Martinez changed direction, and Pape Malang Sarr hit the back stone and hit the roof of Man Utd, scoring the first goal in a Tottenham shirt. In the 83rd minute, Ben Davies missed in the penalty area, but Martinez broke the ball into the home net, leaving Andre Onana stuck.

Postecoglou admitted that Tottenham played awkwardly and missed many passes in the first half because the squad had many young players or new recruits to experience the atmosphere in the Premier League. Yesterday, Tottenham's squad included 20-year-old left-back Destiny Udogie, 22-year-old midfielder Micky Van de Ven, 20-year-old midfielder Pape Matar Sarr or rookie goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario - who was recruited from Empoli to replace Hugo Lloris.

Compared to the first half, according to the Australian coach, the students were more stable after the break, maintaining the pace of movement, moving the ball faster, overwhelming and scoring two important goals.

Answering Sky Sports after the match, captain Son Heung-min also agreed with Coach Postecoglou's comments about the meaning of the victory and how Tottenham transformed in the second half. "We were uncertain, made a lot of mistakes in the first half, but the team played incredibly well in the second half. It shows that this team can still improve a lot," said the Korean striker.

Compared to the opening match with a 2-2 draw at Brentford, Postecoglou had two changes when they ranked Pedro Porro and Sarr in place of Emerson Royal and Oliver Skipp respectively. Postecoglou emphasized that it would be stupid to keep the same tactical formula for each game and want to continue to explore, learn and give opportunities to each person.

After the final whistle, Postecoglou entered the circle in the middle of the field, stopping and looking at the stands. Coach 57 explained that, despite being a coach for 26 years, he still cherishes every moment on the pitch. "You want to feel that moment," he said. "I love what football gives people, especially in these times. You take a moment to think about the 60,000 people on the pitch and the people watching at home. I feel so real. Lucky for a moment like that."

In the third round of the English Premier League on August 26, Postecoglou's teachers and students played the earliest match at Bournemouth.