Ange Postecoglou delivers Tottenham Europa League masterclass and Guglielmo Vicario's kind act

Tottenham are through to the semi-finals of the Europa League following a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night. Following the 4-2 defeat at Wolves last Sunday, made a number of changes to his team as he tried to pick his perfect side to get the better of their German opponents.

and Brennan Johnson was selected on the right, but there was to be no place for in the starting XI as started at left-back. The hosts did threaten on a couple of occasions in the first half before Tel forced Kaua Santos into an excellent save with his shot from distance on course to find the net.

Santos was to be involved in a big moment just before the break as he clattered into James Maddison and a penalty was awarded following a VAR check. It was who stepped up and he made no mistake from the spot as he knocked the ball down the middle of Santos' goal to give the visitors a deserved lead.

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Spurs went so close to doubling their lead on the hour mark as Cristian Romero headed millimetres wide from Pedro Porro's inviting corner with the goalkeeper well beaten. Tottenham were almost made to pay for their missed chances as Guglielmo Vicario made a big save from Fares Chiabi and Rasmus Kristensen then narrowly headed wide of the far post seconds later.

Kristensen was to have two further chances in the closing minutes but Spurs managed to see the game out to secure a 2-1 aggregate win. Here are five things we spotted in the game at Deutsche Bank Park:

Kulusevski's fitness

finally made his return to the pitch at Wolves last Sunday as he came on the for the final 15 minutes of the contest. Many believed that late cameo would result in a start in Frankfurt given the importance of the tie to Tottenham and also to Postecoglou's future.

That was not to be the case, though, as Johnson was picked ahead of him on the right-wing. That decision hinted at the Swede's current fitness levels but it also meant that the head coach had a huge weapon to bring on in the closing stages of the match.

After all, . Kulusevski did enter the fray a bit earlier than many expected as he replaced the injured Maddison on the cusp of half-time.

The Sweden international more than played his part in the win as he carried the ball extremely well in the second half and helped Tottenham get the job done. Kulusevski will hopefully get even more minutes on Monday night when the team return to Premier League action against Nottingham Forest.

Vicario's kind act

There was no way Postecoglou was going to drop for the Eintracht Frankfurt game despite his struggles at Wolves last weekend. , it would have been between Brandon Austin or Alfie Whiteman to start had the head coach elected to wield the axe.

Lining up as the Europa League anthem played ahead of the European tie, Vicario could be seen trying to protect the mascot stood in front of him from the rain. As it was pouring down inside Deutsche Bank Park, the goalkeeper held his gloves above the mascot's head to try and keep him dry.

It was a kind act from Vicario and no doubt something the youngster appreciated. Amid his Wolves woes, the Italian produced a big performance with some key saves as Spurs won in Germany.

Penalty decision

VAR came to Tottenham's aid just before half-time as they were awarded a penalty after Santos had cleaned Maddison out in the area when the midfielder had headed long ball towards goal. The referee initially believed it was a natural coming together before he was advised to go and check the screen.

Following a bit of a moment the last time they were awarded a penalty against Southampton as Tel scored when many believed Johnson would step up to complete his hat-trick, the Frenchman this time had hold of the ball and stood by the spot ready to take. However, there was to be a late change as he put the ball in Solanke's hands and he did the rest.

Whether it was a tactic to allow Solanke to compose himself away from the Frankfurt players remains to be seen. What was clear to see, though, was Postecoglou bellowing 'Dom, Dom' at the top of his voice from the touchline as he wanted his striker to take on the responsibility.

It proved to be the right call as the striker put the ball down the centre of Santos' goal and then went over to celebrate in front of the packed home end.

Tel-ing impact

It was who won the race to replace in the Tottenham team away in Germany. Having plenty of options to operate from that side of the pitch with Wilson Odobert and Richarlison having experience there, Postecoglou opted for the loanee and it proved to be the right call.

Tel has maybe not set the world alight since joining from Bayern Munich at the beginning of February but this was undoubtedly one of his best performances in a Spurs shirt. Going into the game in confident mood after scoring two goals in his previous three games, he almost added another one to his tally with a curling effort from outside the box that Santos did well to keep out.

He was a constant threat down the left with his running and he also helped out defensively at times as Tottenham tried to keep their opponents quiet. Spurs certainly didn't feel the absence of Son as Tel stepped up to the mark and delivered an excellent showing.

Postecoglou and Spurs masterclass

Following that 4-2 defeat at Wolves on Sunday, some Spurs supporters perhaps didn't feel very confident at all travelling to Frankfurt for the crucial second leg. They needn't have worried as Postecoglou's side delivered such a professional performance and one of their best showings of the season.

Tottenham were brilliant from the very first minute as they tried to nullify the hosts and limit them to very little. The Lilywhites did create chances of their own and maybe should have scored more than the one goal they netted on the night given the attempts they had in the second half.

Frankfurt, on the other hand, didn't force Vicario into action too often but they still had some great openings to score, with former Leeds United man Kristensen passing up a hat-trick of opportunities. All of Tottenham's players put in huge shifts on the night, including Romero, Udogie, Micky Van de Ven and Solanke to name a few who were outstanding and really pushed Spurs on to victory.

The scenes at the full-time whistle said everything. It was a colossal showing from Tottenham and hopefully three more are to follow in Europe as they look to get their hands on the Europa League trophy.

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